No Regret
by Cannibal Incorporated
Summary: "Uzumaki Naruto has resigned from the Shinobi Ranks. His whereabouts are unknown,"- They could only bow their heads in silent resignation. "He finally went," Neji sighed, "to Sasuke," -In which Naruto leaves to find his true home. SasuNaru Eventual Mpreg
1. Prologue

**Summary: He shocked the world by taking that outstretched hand of opportunity, and when they asked him why, he just smiled and waved goodbye. "Love makes a man lose his common sense"- they just didn't expect him to actually throw it away.**

**Warnings: Mpreg and other rated M things.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto**

**Prologue: Deal with the Devil **

Naruto- as well as any other seasoned shinobi- knew that there were no good guys and bad guys. There were no defined lines of right and wrong- only battle after battle of bloodshed eventually leading to an acceptance. That each and every one of them was a carefully cultivated and trained murderer. Naruto knew that to be a ninja was to be a weapon- there was no justice; there was only duty.

Despite that fact, the blonde teen also knew there were loyalties and enemies. And because of those two simple truths, he was most certainly aware of treason. It was one of the first concepts he had learned while fidgeting away in the Ninja Academy- that treason against the village was the most heinous crime one could ever commit.

So Naruto knew that what he was doing- what he had _been_ doing and planned to do in the future- was the very epitome of the word. Treason, that is.

Clad in his traditional ANBU uniform, minus his village's insignia, he stood from his spot on a thick tree branch and checked his direction in accordance to the sun. Orochimaru's territory was only a little farther north according to the vague map he had snitched from a traveler's pack, and soon Naruto would be crossing a dangerous border into a country of missing-nin. Deciding that he would have to hurry in order to beat the sunset, Naruto gathered his canteen and food ration pack before returning to his swift journey among the trees.

He had disguised this little adventure as a vacation to Suna, so he was limited on time. The excuse he planned to give for his tardy, was mediocre at best. It didn't help that Oto was in a completely different portion of the world.

Naruto was surprised at the ease it had been to breach the border. He expected there to be patrols or a barrier, but it was as easy as taking one step forward. It unnerved him. Did Orochimaru expect him? He had decided against sending a letter beforehand, afraid it would be intercepted and traced back to him. Well, the snake Sannin did seem to have eyes everywhere. It wasn't an impossibility.

The key to reaching the hidden lair was to mask up his chakara and keep as low a profile as possible. Naruto was not fond of the idea of having intimidating Sound shinobi breathing down his neck when he was snooping around.

So, sticking to his two rules, Naruto ran into no one. And he was pleased when Orochimaru's head quarters were in broad daylight- unhidden and again, no guard. Was it a trap? It didn't matter- he was here to negotiate.

The building was a worn grey color, looking more like an abandoned warehouse than a center for illegal experiments. It was surrounded by smaller buildings that were hidden under years of shrubbery and weeds. Naruto suspected most of the plantation was underground.

Deciding that being direct was the best way to approach, Naruto walked calmly to the front door and knocked, refusing to glance up at the security camera above his head. If Orochimaru didn't know he was coming, he did now.

Kabuto was not usually one to answer the door, as he was found deep in the labyrinth of Orochimaru's nest in one of his experimenting rooms the majority of the time. Somehow, fates placed him in passing of the front lobby when he heard the echoing of gentle raps on the other side of the wall. Being the generally polite person he was, the medic-nin unlocked and opened the steal door, a wave of forest scent invading the hall.

Kabuto did not usually answer the door.

Kabuto _never_ answered the door to Konoha ninja. More specifically, Naruto.

The blonde smiled the faux smile Sai had unknowingly taught him, and raised his open palms in a peace-bringing fashion. His heart was thundering in his ears, but he was careful to keep himself steady. Weakness in the face of the enemy was signing oneself to death.

"Long time no see, Kabuto-san,"

It took another long, strained minute for Kabuto to gather his wits, in which Naruto worried Kabuto would draw a weapon on him.

"….Naruto?"

"The very same," he answered easily, having mentally prepared himself for this day a very long time and letting that part of himself take over.

"I'm not trying to be rude, but…. You are aware that you're in _Sound_… correct?" the elder of the asked uncertainly, leaning against the doorframe for support.

"Of course. Though I am a bit earlier than I anticipated. I hope I'm not intruding,"

"No, no," he answered a bit hastily, feeling flustered with being caught by surprise, "Ah, can I help you?"

Somehow, Naruto slid past the silver haired man and entered the eerie, dim glow of the ceiling lights. Kabuto noted the color washed out Naruto's honey tan.

"I'm here to see Orochimaru. Unfortunately, he wasn't aware of my visiting, but I do need to speak with him as soon as possible,"

Kabuto silently closed the door before locking it back again.

"Do you mind taking me to him?"

They shared a long gaze as Kabuto tried to see past Naruto's pleasant smile. Was he here to take Sasuke? No- it was a known fact that he was off training in the plains west of Iwa and wouldn't be back for another week. Maybe the blonde didn't know?

"Uchiha-san isn't here,"

Naruto laughed, honestly finding it funny. He was certain of that. After all, he had planned this trip specifically _because_ Sasuke was not any where around.

Still chuckling, Naruto began walking down the hall, ignoring the chills he got as he left the entrance behind him. He was in a snake's nest, with no escape unless Orochimaru chose to let him go. The hairs on his arms raised at the thought, but he reigned his nerves in. It would not do to show fear when his life depended on it.

Kabuto joined him and lead him through the dizzying tunnels of steal, accustomed to the scent of disinfectant and medication. There were no doors, Naruto noted as they walked farther. He guessed they were hidden and would only open to certain chakara signatures.

"How have you been these days?" Naruto asked, feeling uncomfortable with the silence.

"Not so good actually," the medic-nin admitted, "My current research seems to be in a slump,"

"Try working a cross-word puzzle while drinking a little sake. That always seems to get my mind working again,"

Kabuto raised his eyebrows at the petite teen next to him, considering his words and storing the information for later use. Cross-words and sake, huh?

They walked down a spiral staircase that opened to a large auditorium. Naruto took in the dents and stains littering the floor and walls and dubbed it a battle arena. How many had been killed in this room?

"Orochimaru is probably in his office at th-"

There was a deafening crackling that reminded Naruto of _Chidori_. Searching for the source, the blonde turned to a dead end hall to see a chunk of it crumbling away until there was a perfect doorway. Orochimaru, silhouetted with light, stepped through, a malicious smile stretched on his too-white skin. His glowing serpentine eyes swiveled around the room until they made contact with Naruto's.

The blonde gave a soft grin of his own and gave a sweeping bow, the ribbons of his ANBU mask brushing the floor.

"This is quite a surprise seeing me favorite _jinchuuriki_ so far from his home," the _Sannin _purred, striding over and taking Naruto's bowed chin in a solid grip before gently pulling him back to a standing position. A pale thumb brushed over Naruto's velvety lips.

"I should have sent a letter," he replied with a nod, not moving away from Orochimaru's touch.

"Had I known you were on your way, I would have sent out an escort for you, Naruto,"

The way his name fell from Orochimaru's mouth made him shiver. Naruto was in danger-land. The hand dropped from the blonde's chin only to take hold of his hand.

Kabuto watched through calculative eyes as his mentor brought Naruto's delicate knuckles to his lips and placed a kiss.

"Nonsense. I got here with no trouble at all. And speaking of, I have some important things to discuss with you. I intend to leave here as soon as possible, as I'm sure you understand,"

"But of course. Shall we take this somewhere more private?"

Naruto hooked his slim arm with Orochimaru's as the pale man lead them towards the door he had made his appearance through.

"Oh, and Kabuto-san?" Naruto called over his shoulder as the wall began to close up and the crackling noise started again, "I would appreciate it if you kept this little visit between you and me,"

The silver haired young man watched the two disappear behind the steal wall and silence fell from the ceiling like a blanket, cloaking him from head to toe.

Inside Orochimaru's office, Naruto had made himself comfortable- as comfortable as one can get in the presence of someone so powerful- in the chair across from Orochimaru's. There was a coffee table in between them, littered with open scrolls and stacks of books. Like many other things he had encountered today, his office was not what the blonde had anticipated. It was far from uncomfortable- there were bookshelves filled and overflowing and small lamps that gave off a warm orange glow. It made Naruto oddly drowsy.

"Now, what can I do for you?" Orochimaru asked, voice low with unknown intent.

Naruto's polite smile transformed into a look of serious diplomacy.

"Due to certain circumstances last month, I find myself in possession of something extremely important to you,"

"To me?" Orochimaru asked, humoring Naruto with a cheeky sneer.

"Yes. You have heard of Danzo's assassination, correct?"

"It is not new information, Naruto-kun,"

"Please allow me to finish. Before Tsunade got hold of his body, I took the liberty to extract all of the _Sharingan _eyes he had collected for a certain snake we all know. I do not know how he got them, nor do I really care to find out,"

"You have them with you?" Orochimaru urged, visibly becoming excited at the mentioning of _Sharingan._

"More or less," Naruto answered vaguely, feeling the weight of his summoning scroll in his pouch.

"So, in exchange for these eyes, you want me to release your dear Sasuke?"

"Of course not," Naruto answered, shaking his head, "He does what he likes. I assure you, I came here for only selfish reasons,"

"I must say, this new Naruto is definitely more alluring than before. Killing one of your own fellow citizens and consorting with an S-class criminal? You have me utterly seduced," he teased, then added, "Name what you want in return,"

Naruto paused, careful to word his next sentence so he didn't give himself away.

"I am looking for a seal similar to the seals that bind the tailed beasts to their hosts. It goes by various names, but you'll know it by the_ Konomoshi_[1] seal,"

"That seal binds someone to you until the possessor chooses to release them. It was decided to be made forbidden because it made the victim a slave. What do you need it for?"

"Different reasons, but none of them for anything but my own gain,"

They stared at each other, Orochimaru obviously frustrated that Naruto was so bold to avoid answering a question.

"Is that all you need?"

"It is,"

Orochimaru grabbed a small walkie-talkie from the coffee table and switched it on.

"Kabuto, go to storage room eight and bring me the small container with the blue label,"

"_Yes, sir_," came the automatic reply.

"I'm grateful for your cooperation," Naruto said, bowing his head in respect.

"And I am surprised that we can negotiate. I did kill your Hokage and steal your best friend,"

Naruto tilted his head and smiled after a beat of silence.

"I had forgotten,"

"I expect you not to forget my eyes," Orochimaru warned with a playful sneer.

"And you will get them after I ensure the seal is altered to my benefit," Naruto assured, standing and holding his hand out to shake with Orochimaru's. Instead, the _Sannin_ kissed his fingers again, sealing their deal with a pleased smile.

It would take weeks to make the seal just right, but Naruto had time. Hopefully, Orochimaru wouldn't be too angry with the delay of his eyes- not that Naruto actually intended to give Orochimaru the stolen _Sharingan_ eyes. He could feel the late Uchiha clan rolling in their graves at the mere prospect.

"I feel pity for the friend you choose to place the seal on,"

Naruto smiled true, and closed his eyes with a little 'hmm'.

"Actually, I'm sealing a soul that doesn't exist yet,"

**Prologue: End.**

[1] _Kon-Omoi-Shigai_: soul-mind-body

The prologue is kind of short but the actual chapters won't be.

_**To be continued…**_


	2. Chapter 1

**Summery: He shocked the world by taking that outstretched hand of opportunity, and when they asked him why, he just smiled and waved goodbye. "Love makes a man loose his common sense"- they just didn't expect him to actually throw it away.**

**Warnings: Mpreg and other rated M things.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto**

**Chapter One: Abandon**

When Naruto returned from Gaara's, it was like a switch had been turned inside of him. The moment his feet passed through his home's gates, the villagers sensed a great shift had taken place. Did something happen to him on his journey to Suna? No one knew, and as far as Naruto was concerned, it would stay that way. All they could surmise was that Naruto had lost his fire to become the Hokage, replaced by some unknown determination. A determination that had him in the library most days instead of out in the training grounds.

That was where the blonde was at the moment- pouring over an aged text on the cycle of human life. He had already read almost everything concerning the topic and had more than just a few scrolls filled with bullet points and disjointed jots of information. Of course, he had destroyed all of the research after committing it to memory. It seemed, Naruto mused, that everything he did nowadays was suspicious. It was a good thing though, that no one looked closely enough to notice.

It was then that Naruto felt the probing of a familiar chakra searching for him- he was eternally thankful for his sage training. He sighed and placed the book on the shelf where he found it just as Sakura appeared not a minute later.

"There you are!" she whispered- respect for being in a library, "I've been looking everywhere for you. Tsunade-sama needs to see you,"

Naruto grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head in his classic Naruto manner. The pink haired young woman- she was no longer a girl (and her large chest only seemed to emphasize that)- studied him closely, as though seeing through him. Naruto didn't falter under the sharp gaze. It would mean death.

"Sorry. I was looking for a book on powerful jutsu and got lost in here,"

"You idiot- what are you doing on this side of the library? You're in the biology section," Sakura scolded and cuffed her teammate's shoulder lightly, "Any who, forget about that- Tsunade-sama's waiting for you!"

Naruto laughed earnestly, swallowing that guilty sting that had been haunting him since he returned, and held his hands up in peace.

"I'm going, I'm going,"

He made a mental reminder to go back to the library and pick up where he left off as the two made their way back onto Konoha streets. It was a little after lunch, so the dirt roads were only slightly crowded. Sakura waved to the citizens, and Naruto, not feeling too hyper, only gave a smile and a nod. It was enough to satisfy them, he noted.

The Hokage tower was always an impressive sight to Naruto, though these days the sight of it only made him sick. It was like a physical reminder of his secret betrayal to the village. But he was already prepared for such feelings when he made his decision.

It was hard to interact with his friends when he knew he was deceiving them- hence he was holing himself up in unlikely places. Sure, Naruto was being a coward for running from the consequences, but at that point, he was beyond pride.

The ANBU standing at the entrance of the tower saluted to Naruto, being a member himself, and he returned the salutation politely.

The more the Uzumaki-Namikaze thought about Tsunade, the more he was positive about what the meeting would hold. The day after his arrival from his little treason escapade guised as a mini-vacation, he had turned in a resignation form to Shizune- and that had been a month ago. He had expected this to happen- Tsunade wasn't going to let it go without a few (angry) words.

Kiba and Shino were in Tsunade's office- Hinata had been placed on leave since her and Kiba's unplanned pregnancy last month- giving a mission report. The conception was out of wed-lock, so Hinata's father was livid. Naruto hoped they pulled through this. His two friends were very much in love.

When Tsunade saw Naruto and Sakura standing by the door, she cut the others off mid-sentence and dismissed them.

"Naruto come in," she said seriously in a low voice that warned the blonde of the storm ahead, "Sakura, please wait outside. I've summoned the rest of Team Kakashi, so have them meet you out there,"

Naruto watched Sakura's face out of the corner of his eyes and saw confusion and concern, but she bowed and followed her Hokage's commands. The door closed behind him, and he warily stepped forward until he was looking at Tsunade head on.

She held up a neatly folded piece of paper- Naruto's resignation- and slammed it on the desk before her.

"I don't even know what this is," she snapped, "A _joke_? A temporary laps in your sanity? What the hell were you thinking?"

"Tsunade," Naruto began with a sigh, "Please understand me. I mean no offence-"

"Too late for that!" she yelled, and Naruto knew at this rate, anyone outside would be able to hear, "Who do you think you are turning in some shit like this?"

"With all due respect, _Hokage-sama,_" Naruto hissed, "I am a ninja of Konoha requesting something well under my rights. Your inability to understand and my lack of elaborating have nothing to do with the fact that you cannot deny me this,"

"I am the Hokage! I decide who gets deployed,"

"Look at your rule book, Tsunade!" Naruto shouted back with almost as much force. He _had_ to win this battle, "You know you don't have the power to deny a citizen his rights,"

She glared- _really_ glared- and snatched up that paper again, becoming crumpled in her tight grip.

"I have a mission for you,"

"I am no longer a registered shinobi,"

"One last mission," she continued, lips thinned, her golden eyes stabbing at his blue.

"I cannot guarantee I'll follow your orders,"

She ran a hand through her thick bangs, before leaning back and barking at the door.

"Enter!"

Naruto's former teammates came through the door, and they showed no signs of having heard their conversation. Sai smiled at him, and he mirrored the action. Kakashi bowed his head to the blonde woman formally.

"We have confirmed Sasuke's whereabouts," she began.

Naruto and Sakura couldn't help but tense at the information. Naruto felt his stomach do a little flip, and he had to repress a small smile. It was about time.

"After killing Orochimaru last week, he banded a team of his own up and they were last spotted around the Village Hidden in the Mist for reasons unknown. We have limited knowledge in his companions, but everything we know is in the Bingo Book,"

"Is this a retrieval mission?" Kakashi asked, finally asking what they had all been thinking. _Or is it an execution mission?_

"Yes. You are to detain the Uchiha,"

"And his team?"

"I'll leave that to your jurisdiction," Tsunade answered. Kakshi nodded.

"You will travel to Kiri(_*Mist_), capture him, and bring him home. This mission should take approximately ten days. You leave in an hour,"

"Tsunade-"

"You leave in an hour," she repeated, cutting off Naruto's protest.

Naruto narrowed his eyes at her, anger rolling off of him in frothy, thick waves. Sakura watched the two's mental battle for authority until Naruto sneered. He gave a mocking, sweeping bow, and Sakura thought she had never seen him so pissed.

"You're right," Naruto answered, "I _leave_ in an hour,"

Then he was gone in a flurry of smoke.

Tsunade's breath hitched as the subtle meaning in those words sank in. But it was too late. Leave- he had said. Did he mean the ranks or the village altogether? She glanced down at the form still in her manicured hands and crumpled it up with a tight fist.

"Tsunade-sama," Sakura mumbled, clearly having not understood the earlier wrath between her friend and teacher, "What did Naruto mean?"

They sat in a pregnant silence in which Tsunade carefully chose her next words. Obviously, Naruto had not divulged them with his mysterious plans. Should she reveal what she knew?

"I'm afraid you'll have to find out for yourselves,"

And they would- in ten days. Naruto had never been so thankful for everyone to be too busy with themselves for them to notice the transformation of Naruto's world. For starters, his apartment was almost completely empty. Over the past month, he had used the time to slowly get rid of his possessions, and now, he was down to the bare necessities. He would use the last hour to pack up those until it was completely void of matter.

In truth, he had not planned to leave until Tsunade officially confirmed his resignation, but this would be easier. With the information Tsunade had given him and his old team, he knew Sasuke's coordinates, and he would get out of the village before Tsunade put him on lock-down for trying to resign.

He was done in twenty minutes, and on his way down, he left his apartment keys hanging from the doorknob. All of Konoha would know what had happened when they found this. That- and when his team returned without him. He considered leaving his headband as well, but decided it would raise too much alarm with Sakura. It would wait until he saw Sasuke.

Sasuke. Thinking of him brought so many emotions, Naruto could drown. It reminded him of his whole reason for his visit to the Sound village. The whole reason behind his committing of treason.

_Come with me_, the Uchiha had said in Naruto's doorway- right after knocking Sakura out and lying her on that cold bench so many years ago-, _We can do this together_

But I'm too young. I want to be Hokage- Naruto could hear himself say- Orochimaru is a bad man, Sasuke; don't go with him!

But the Uchiha's mind had already been made up and he was gone without a goodbye or an apology. Naruto swallowed thickly, staring at the bright sky above him and ignoring the people weaving around him in the street.

And again: _Come with me_.

Whispered in Naruto's ear in the middle of Orochimaru's destroyed compound. So low that he had to lean in, making Sakura worry. They had been older, but Naruto had been no more prepared for a decision of such gravity.

I can't. I won't leave my home- our home. I can bring you back.

Now, Naruto knew Sasuke would never step foot in Konoha again. Konoha ceased being the Uchiha's home the moment he found Itachi standing over his parents' carcasses. Sasuke would forever resent the Leaf Village and would make a point to stay out of it. Knowing that also sorted out Naruto's priorities. Number one: Konoha ceased being _his_ home the moment Sasuke left.

The blonde had said no twice, but he would not a third. Not ever a third.

"Hey, Naruto!"

He reluctantly pulled himself from his thoughts and smiled at the waving boy.

"Konohamaru! Back from your mission I see,"

"Yeah!" the growing adolescent exclaimed, "We're preparing for the Chunin exams now!"

The Chunin Exam brought up bitter memories for the blonde, but he barreled past them.

"Really? I wish you the best,"

Konohamaru grinned up at him in a broad smile similar to his own.

"You've got your traveling clothes on-" he gestured to Naruto's white, ANBU-esque attire, "Are you going somewhere?"

"A top secret mission," Naruto winked, "Don't tell anyone,"

The boy beamed when Naruto waved over his shoulder as he walked away. He still had half an hour before he left the village- for good- and his feet automatically took him to Ichiraku's. Ayame grinned at him when Naruto murmured 'The usual' and took a seat. A steaming bowl of beef flavored ramen slid under his nose in no time.

Being there made him think of Iruka, which unleashed a flood of tear inducers. Just because he finally chose to go where his home was- running around the ninja world on a power frenzy- didn't mean he wasn't still attached to his ending life here in the village. He lightly fingered the engraved insignia on his headband, a solemn look gracing his features.

In the end, it didn't matter that he was filled with inner turmoil since his mind was made up. He didn't belong wherever Sasuke wasn't.

The strength of that statement made a blush dust over marked cheeks, and a smile melted away the tension in his shoulders. Love was such a ridiculous thing.

Reminding himself that he was on a time limit, Naruto quickly inhaled the bowl in front of him (realizing that it was probably the last time he would ever eat ghere) and laid the necessary money on the counter.

He looked at the buildings and people, soaking it all in so he would forever have the memory. He said goodbye to them with his gaze, the people of Konoha ever oblivious that their monster-turned-hero was slipping between their fingers.

"You're late," Sakura called from the northern gates, "I was wondering if we were going to have to start a search party,"

"I had to make a ramen stop before we go!" Naruto defended himself.

Sai smiled, a gleam in his eye that made Naruto uncomfortable. As if he knew.

"Well, some on! We've got an Uchiha to catch!"

Naruto smiled as the four of them took their leave, his team unaware that it would be Naruto's final exit and no following entrance.

The route to Kirigakure was simple- take a straight course to the Great Naruto Bridge. The weather was warm and muggy (they had quickly decided to start their journey in the shaded canopy of the trees), making water breaks become a more frequent occurrence for Team Kakashi. But they weren't in a hurry, despite the desire to see their estranged comrade as soon as possible. Even if Sasuke and his entourage left the Wave Country, the only direction left to go was in theirs.

The whole first eighteen hours of travel was spent in silence, each shinobi caught up in his or her own thoughts. Naruto tried to meditate on what he would say to the Uchiha when his moment arrived. Thinking had never been his strongest point, so after a few frustrating hours of shifting facial expressions and bad ideas, he filed the issue away and stamped it as _I'll wing it_. Besides, impulse was practically his nindou.

Deciding against starting a fire as they were setting up camp for the night, they sat around, covered in the darkness of the thick underbrush surrounding them.

"…mysterious, Naruto! Everyone wonders what you do when you disappear,"

The blonde jerked himself from his spinning mind at the sound of his name.

"You used to be seen all over the place- training grounds, hospital, Ichiraku's. You've gone from village goofball to the cool, secretive older brother," Sakura continued playfully, "We're all dying to know what Uzumaki Naruto does in his spare time,"

Truth be told, usually he was in Sasuke's old house digging up clan information- he had been surprised that the elders had not ordered the house to be purged of the past. He had found things like a family tree, family jutsu, information on the _Sharingan,_ and even a bin of family photos. All of it was tucked away in a transportation scroll in his pouch this very moment- a gift for Sasuke when he saw him.

"Well…" Naruto drawled.

Sakura leaned forward expectantly.

"I do some of this and a little of that. Nothing too interesting. Besides, when has anyone been so interested in me?"

Sakura gave a dramatic guffaw that made Kakashi jump from his light doze, his orange book falling from his slack grip and hitting himself squarely in the crotch. Even Sai peeked up from his little chakra powered lamp and sketch book.

"You're kidding!" she sighed out in a heavy breath, "It's all we girls can talk about. Ever since you returned from your sage training, you've become the village hero. You're our new case,"

Naruto furrowed his brows in confusion, considering the word 'case' in that sentence. He used it as a distraction to the stab of guilt that coursed through his veins. What did she mean by that? Hero?

"What do you do all day?" she asked again.

"I've seen him," Sai spoke up, "brooding in random places,"

Naruto laughed.

"I don't _brood_! And I'll have you know that I'm never in random places. I am very picky about where I sit," the blonde sniffed.

Kakashi rubbed at his eyes and glared at the younger three accusatorily- probably for disturbing his almost slumber.

"You guys need to rest so we can pick up our pace tomorrow," he grumbled.

Naruto considered taking first watch in order to slip away and get a head start. He glanced to his left at the feel of a heavy gaze on him and caught Sai's flat ebony eyes pinning him. The hairs on the back of his neck rose- a warning if he ever knew one. How much of a head start would he even get if he left in the middle of the night?

Sai didn't look away, his blank face sliding into that slippery smile and effectively hiding anything he might have been thinking.

They challenged each other- Sakura not taking notice as she fluffed up her sleeping bag. Sai gave up, apparently finding whatever he was looking for in Naruto's curious expression, and moseyed off to his own resting spot.

_Yes_, Naruto thought,_ I think I'd better leave tonight_.

Naruto didn't wait long before sneaking off. He didn't leave a note or even bother checking if Sai was really asleep- something about those snores just didn't come off as authentic. Again, he decided against abandoning his headband. He felt like he would need it again, one last time.

Navigating in the middle of the night running on five hours of sleep after a twenty hour day was grueling. But he pushed forward, jumping along the trees easily as if made for the darkness, wary of possible followers. Would Sai wake his team up and track him? The thought only made Naruto force more energy straight to his feet, drawing strength from the living matter around him.

He ran and ran until it felt like the soles of his feet were bleeding, and still, he ran. Naruto was flying- faster, faster- as if he was chasing the sunrise that was peeking through the trees before him. He used the sun as a direction source and the farther he drew east, the more the climate changed. The warm weather melted away to moist and misty, making the tree branches slippery.

Naruto's guess was that he had shaved off a full day and a half's travel. The coast was only a day away. He had traveled far enough to be out of Kakashi's Sharingan's range.

He stopped to allow himself a rest, and cried out in the morning silence as his body burned and protested. Naruto closed his eyes, gulping air into his tired lings. He could hear a large stream running by and forced himself to it.

Kyuubi's chakra was already leaking into Naruto's system as he undressed, the crimson life webbing the blonde's torn, strained muscles in a soothing cocoon. The cold water helped numb his feet- he confirmed that they _had_ been bleeding.

The stream flowed around Naruto's skin, a soft force more like an embrace than a push, and he stilled his entire body. _Focus_, he whispered.

The energy came to him easily, drawing from the weeds thriving on the river's soggy bed, from the ancient trees enveloping him, from the dew covered grass- all of it warming and charging his core. Five more hours of comatose-like meditation and he'll have the coast in sight that night.

As he leaned onto the stream's bank for support, he tried to avoid thinking about how his ex-team was reacting. He didn't have to guess; he _knew_. First, they would think he had just taken off in his excitement. Maybe Sai would hint to know something. But eventually, they would find Naruto's headband, and it would give him away. He wondered what they would feel as they walked back home, dejected and broken.

_The same way I felt when I returned to the village without Sasuke_.

Lassitude plagued Naruto's body as he allowed himself to be swallowed up by his exhaustion. He let out a final sigh then was caught by the sandman.

It was well into the morning when Naruto awoke again, temporarily befuddled at the unfamiliar environment. His skin was pruned and swollen from the hours he had spent in the therapeutic water- a few degrees colder than he liked. Still, the young shinobi felt a far cry from what he had been, and was eternally grateful for his toad mentors' teachings.

Slowly, he stood, stretching his muscles of a few kinks, and dried himself with a towel he had cleverly packed.

Naruto washed his sandals of yesterday's blood in the creek after redressing in clean clothes. Then, it was back to running.

He didn't push himself as hard as he had earlier, noticing that the forest was a lot prettier in the glowing sunlight. The grass and trees were illuminated with all shades of green. He passed a few exotic birds and even watched a family of squirrels chase one another around a tree's trunk.

But in no time, the trees began to thin as the amount of fog increased, giving way to the open ocean. There was a small village to the north, opposite direction of the Wave Country. The breezy air chilled Naruto's flushed skin as he chose to take the path to Wave, not trusting his directional skills enough to take the uncharted path of the thicket.

There hadn't been much information of Sasuke's new comrades, but Naruto had seen pictures and was sure he would recognize one if he saw. He just didn't expect to see one of them so soon.

He had entered the village, cloaked in a brown traveler's jacket and headband slung loosely around his neck to be covered- nothing to make him stand out. It could hardly be called a village: there were ten little housing shacks, a food and supply market that lined both sides of the road- only one road-, and an inn connected to a bath house. Despite its lack of size however, the people were jovial and content with the simplicity of their lives.

It was then that Naruto saw him, bartering with a salesman over a sack of grain. His silvery, pale hair made him easy to see, along with his flashy attire- but mostly, it was Zabuza's sword strapped to his back that caught Naruto's attention.

"Suigetsu," the blonde had called before thinking ahead.

When sharp, irritated purple eyes landed on him in confusion, Naruto smiled and approached him.

"That is your name, right?"

"I don't recall telling _you_," he griped, "What do you want?"

Naruto considered the ex-Sound nin's words before answering carefully:

"I need you to take me to Sasuke,"

Those slanted eyes narrowed suspiciously before the young man turned away and began to leave.

"He doesn't take visitors,"

"I'm not a visitor,"

Even though Naruto's voice was filled with determination, he couldn't help but doubt himself a little. Did Sasuke even still want him around? Did he want Naruto to join him in his quest for revenge?

Suigetsu paused.

"Look, I don't care how much money he owes you- I'm not going to take you to him,"

"Has Sasuke been gambling?" Naruto asked, his mouth quirking up at the funny thought. He could imagine the Uchiha pimped out in a white suit, leaning intently over a poker table.

"I wouldn't know. Keeps to himself mostly," Suigetsu grumbled.

Before the ex-Sound nin even realized it, the blonde was walking with him shoulder to shoulder through the small town.

"Are you familiar with this area? This stretch wasn't here last time I came through. The Naruto Bridge must have been finished,"

"I'm only passing through, just like you. We've been across the bridge and are already heading back,"

Naruto smiled, wondering if Suigetsu even realized he was giving away information. Obviously, the sharp toothed male was telling the truth, since he had recovered the sword from Haku and Zabuza's grave site. Not that he minded- Naruto had spent an entire summer learning persuasive and seduction tactics under the tutoring of Anko. Sure, the technique was Kunoichi based, but if it worked, did it matter?

"Would you like to accompany me as I cross it?" Naruto asked, "It'll only take a day. I would like to visit some old friends,"

"I'm in a hurry,"

"You seemed to take your time earlier. Surly your friends won't mind too much if I borrow you for the day," Naruto insisted, casually taking off his cloak and winding his arm around Suigetsu's.

He kept the urge to smirk deep within as he pretended not see those lilac eyes wondering over his body. It made Naruto feel (only a little) cheap.

"Just for the day?"

"As my personal escort," he confirmed, "Just to and from, and then we can be on our separate ways,"

"…,"

Naruto wondered if he was passing off as a helpless civilian.

"I have to leave by midnight," he muttered, a scowl on his pouty-face.

"It's a date!"

Sasuke totally forgotten from Suigetsu's mind when a slim hand gripped his, the swordsman could only follow the smiling blonde through the tiny village and to the coast.

"I hate the ocean," the blonde whispered as the two gazed at the crashing water from afar. The bridge was a tiny speck in the distance, and if Suigetsu didn't have a weaker compainion he could have reached it in minutes without breaking a sweat. The mysterious teen held his hand tighter, "It's too big and unpredictable. It's cold,"

Blue eyes- much bluer than the mass of water before them- turned up towards the sky.

"Do you like the ocean, Suigetsu?"

It was then that the swordsman realized he had no clue who this guy was or what he wanted- except to see Sasuke. But he seemed so harmless. Innocent, even.

"I'm from here originally, so I'm used to all the water,"

The bridge drew nearer. Naruto could feel a familiar chakra brushing the recesses of his consciousness, but he didn't dare reach out to it. _Make him come to me,_ he thought, moving closer to the oblivious male beside him.

"You know my name, but I don't know yours,"

Naruto laughed, willing the chakra to come nearer and it did. Sasuke could no doubt see him with his Sharingan by now.

"Oh, you'll know soon enough. I'm tired; do you mind us taking a five minute break?"

Far enough from the village and the bridge incase there was a battle, Naruto threw his cloak to the wispy sand and straightened his headband so it was face-up. Suigetsu glared, easily slipping into a defensive stance.

"You're a ninja," he accused, jumping back to put space between them.

"So are you," Naruto replied, "I'm not here to fight so don't get your panties in a wad,"

Naruto was relieved that Sasuke was alone in approaching. He swooped down fast, landing in a graceful crouch in the sand. The blonde's breath caught when he met spinning, red eyes.

"Leave us," Sasuke ordered Suigetsu.

Hesitantly, the pale haired shinobi retreated just out of range and barely into the tree line behind them.

"Aren't you a little far from home?" he hissed, voice low and clam.

"No," Naruto answered simply. As far as he was concerned, home was right in front of him.

"What do you want?"

This was the opening he had been waiting for. Now, if he failed it would all be his own doing. But what words to say?

"…I want you to ask me again,"

There was a tense pause in which Sasuke stood up, taller and leaner than Naruto remembered. Thinking he didn't understand, Naruto went on. His nerves were jittering and somehow along the way, his breathing had quickened.

"Ask me to come with you again,"

The youngest Uchiha cocked his head to the side, almost in a mocking manner.

"Why should I?" he asked, almost sneering.

_Because I love you?_ True, but Naruto didn't find it meaningful enough. Their strange relationship had never been put into those whimsical words, and even now, they didn't seem to fit. _Third time's the charm?_

"Because I have a different answer,"

Slowly, steadfastly, Naruto reached behind his neck and untied the knot of his _hitai ate_. It fell into the sand with a dull thump.

Just as warily, Naruto chanced a step forward and took it as a sign when Sasuke didn't step back or glare.

"You have to say it first," Naruto reminded the silent nin in a breathy whisper.

The black haired Uchiha was gone, just as quickly as he came, and Naruto almost believed he had left completely. But then, a pale arm came from behind him and caressed his neck and chin with a cool hand. Naruto shivered at the dangerous buzz coming off of Sasuke and thought _power_.

He felt Sasuke's breath on the nape of his hairline, his shoulder blades being pressed into a chiseled chest.

"Come with me," it was just as he remembered, but better.

Shivering again, Naruto's tan hand came up and covered Sasuke's.

"Yes,"

**Chapter One: End**

_**TBC… 4994**_


	3. Chapter 2

**Summery: He shocked the world by taking that outstretched hand of opportunity, and when they asked him why, he just smiled and waved goodbye. "Love makes a man loose his common sense"- they just didn't expect him to actually throw it away.**

**Warnings: Mpreg and other rated M things.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto**

**Chapter Two: Discover**

"How did you find me?" Sasuke asked Naruto as they leisurely walked along the coast. Suigetsu watched the two from a distance, not sure if he should stay. It was as if his presence there was an interruption to the comfortable aura that surrounded the two.

"Ah. Actually, it was Tsunade who told Team Kakashi of your latest whereabouts. We left to retrieve you, so Sakura and the others will be here in a day or two. I took off from the camp last night in order to find you first,"

They stopped to watch the waves crash and roll onto the sand at their feet. Some of the salty water splashed up to their toes.

"What will you do when you face them?"

Naruto smiled, gazing at a small jellyfish that washed up on the sand to join some dried seaweed.

"We won't face them at all, actually. There are trading and fishing ships that travel around the coast. I was thinking we could ride on one for a few days in order to lose them,"

The Uchiha raised an eyebrow at that, studying his partner's profile carefully. Naruto had changed a little since he had last seen him. His face seemed softer, more mature. And his body had turned lithe and agile in his ANBU career. Still, remarkably _Naruto_, though.

"You didn't cut your ties with them," he accused in a stale tone. Naruto turned to him angrily.

"I did. They just don't know it yet,"

"I suppose they will when they find that-" Sasuke inclined his chin to point to the place in the distance he had left his headband.

"So, what were you doing in Wave?"

"Suigetsu wanted Zabuza's sword,"

The blonde absently nodded, staring up at Sasuke's windswept hair gently blowing around his stern jaw. He felt his chest swell looking at him- being _able_ to look at him- so closely, within arms reach, and not so fleeting as it had been for the past six years.

Naruto jerked his head to the side when he felt the first sign of wetness trail downward on his face. Sasuke furrowed his brow as the blonde before him began quietly crying.

"Please," Naruto began, voice cracking. He stepped towards the Uchiha and leaned his forehead against the front of Sasuke's chest, "Can we stay like this a moment?"

As Sasuke's hand rose to rest in the blonde's hair, his eyes drifted to Suigetsu. Their eyes met and held a second in silent communication.

_Scram_.

Suigetsu took the hint.

"I missed you," the shorter of the two whispered, his hands coming up to grip at Sasuke's sides.

"I know,"

"I thought I might never see you again," he continued to sob.

The Uchiha thought of how ridiculous Naruto was being, but with him clinging to him so helplessly, all he could do was bury his nose in soft, golden hair and hold the boy closer. For Naruto, he would allow this little moment to last a while longer.

"Idiot," Sasuke muttered, "Don't leave my side, and you won't have to worry about that,"

They stood like that for a long time, Sasuke embracing the blonde until his body stopped trembling and his eyes stopped flowing, drop after drop of salty water straight into the ocean at their feet. They didn't move even as the sun sunk and the tide rose, water coming up past their ankles.

"We need to find a boat to board," Naruto stated as they pulled away from each other, "It's getting late, and your team is waiting for you,"

Sasuke didn't say anything when tan fingers wound between his, and they continued their walk down the beach stretch.

It took only twenty minutes of comfortable walking for them to reach a rocky cliff. Sasuke lead Naruto around a ledge that jutted out sharply above the water that opened to a hidden sandy clearing. There, Sasuke's new team sat, relaxed around a small smoking pit that had been a fire previously.

The red headed young woman- Naruto remembered her name to be Karin- snapped to attention when she noticed the two had arrived.

"Sasuke-san!" she greeted, "You're back. When Suigetsu said you were meeting with someone, I was worried something had happened,"

She glared at the swordsman as if something had happened, then allowed her eyes to wander over to the blonde. Her eyes landed on his stomach where the seal was as if she could sense the _Kyuubi's_ presence.

"You're a _Jinchuuriki_," she said.

Naruto nodded.

"And you are a chakra sensor,"

"Karin," Sasuke interrupted, "This is Naruto. He will be traveling with me,"

Karin noted that Sasuke hadn't said 'traveling with _us_' and pursed her lips in distaste at the newcomer. Naruto stared at her blankly.

"Naruto, you already know Suigetsu. That is Juugo,"

Juugo offered a small smile to the blonde, to which he returned ten-fold.

"Nice to meet you all,"

"We need to discuss a change of plans," Sasuke said after the introductions. He strode into the clearing and took a seat at the simmering pile of embers.

Juugo and Suigetsu joined him, and Karin watched through narrowed eyes as Naruo followed Sasuke and sat beside him a little closer than necessary.

"We're boarding a ship for a few days tonight that is leaving Wave and heading south. We'll be disguised in a simple _Henge_ during that time as a group of travelers,"

"We should disguise ourselves as a family," Naruto suggested. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, "It's less professional, something unexpected from you. Plus, it's more fun,"

Suigetsu stared at Naruto incredulously, but Karin grinned.

"Great idea! I'll be the mom and Sasuke can be the dad and you guys can be our kids!"

"No _way_ am I going to pretend to be related to you!" Suigetsu complained, shoving the side of Karin's face with an open palm.

"I think it's a good idea," Juugo mumbled, "But we're going to need an extra person, so that our numbers are different from what anyone would be searching for,"

"Karin, you can be a mother carrying a baby," Naruto said, agreeing with the copper haired boy, "And one of us can be your husband. The others can be relatives,"

"Naruto and I will be the relatives," Sasuke deadpanned, before Karin had the opportunity to pair him up with her.

Karin glared at the sky as if asking _Why God?_ and turned to Suigetsu.

"Where's my ring, _husband_?"

Suigetsu groaned.

"…I guess I'll be a relative," Juugo decided.

"And we're visiting grandparents in the Southern Fire Country," Naruto ended, with a bright smile. Sasuke covered his mouth with a hand to hide his own pleased smirk at Naruto's happiness.

"When do we leave?"

"Now," Sasuke answered, standing and performing a short series of hand signs. Sasuke disappeared into a gust of smoke to reveal a man of about the same size with a dark tan and short brown hair. His eyes stayed the natural black, but his clothes had changed to simple black traveler's wear.

"Naruto, when you change, be a woman," the Uchiha said calmly.

Naruto laughed while Suigetsu and Karin gaped.

"The gender change will further throw off anyone tracking us," he explained.

"No way," the blonde replied, still laughing, "You just want an excuse to be able to call me your wife,"

Karin sputtered, but Sasuke's face remained impassive.

"I thought you knew by now it isn't a _wife_ I'm after,"

Naruto's cheeks reddened in surprise. He hadn't expected Sasuke to reply to the flirtatious teasing. Sasuke had never really hinted that their complicated relationship was more than just friendship, but maybe it was _him_ who hadn't been reading between the lines carefully enough.

The blonde stood, copying Sasuke's earlier motions and felt his body bend to a new shape. He chose short, dark hair- much like Shizune's- but kept his tan and blue eyes. His ANBU uniform (which he realized he would eventually have to actually get rid of) morphed into a pale blue yukata. Sasuke eyed his lack of female anatomy but didn't comment.

Karin did the Henge with a huff into a woman with black hair the same shade as Naruto's. In her arms was a sleeping baby wrapped up in a bundle of blankets. Juugo had already turned himself into a younger looking version of Sasuke's new identity. It was Suigetsu who chose to wear something a bit flashier- though that wasn't really much of a surprise. He had long black hair pulled into a low pony-tail and a bright green kimono.

"We look like a circus," Karin snapped, shoving Suigetsu away when he tried to wrap his arm around her shoulders.

"Come on, we have to be convincing," the white haired man whined, "I'm not happy about this either, but I'm not so childish that I can't take one for the team,"

The woman fell silent before giving a sigh of resignation. She stepped towards the man and slowly resting her arm in the crook of his.

"We _never_ speak of this. Ever,"

"Yes, ma'am" Suigetsu replied sarcastically.

An hour later, they stood in front of a large fishing boat as hitch-hikers. The captain of the boat had agreed to take them a few days down the coast- as it was a part of their route- for a few pretty coins.

Naruto stared at the large wooden ship, feeling his stomach knot up. He hadn't given himself time to really think about his phobia of the ocean, for fear it would make him go against the plan. But now, with his Thalassophobia staring at him in the eye, the idea of riding on a boat for more than a day seemed like a bite too much for him to chew.

"Naruto," Sasuke's _Henge_ said, taking his hand and tugging.

The cool palm pressing into his made the fear he was sweating over seem trivial. He could hardly believe that Sasuke was walking next to him.

They boarded the ship, Naruto only glancing back at land once, before they found a comfortable corner on the deck to sit. Sasuke left the group to go speak with the other shipmates about food and work to help with, leaving Naruto with his new comrades.

"So," Karin drawled, shifting her baby to her other arm, "Why are you in our group so suddenly? What about your village?"

Naruto 'Hmm'ed.

"I'm sure they're doing just fine without me," he answered, skillfully avoiding her first question.

Suigetsu looked at the disguised Naruto, recalling the first time he had met him. His ears felt hot when he thought of how seductive the blonde had been. Obviously, it had been a persuasion tactic. The embarrassing part was that it had _worked_.

"They want Suigetsu and I to help with the netting when they pull the fish in," Sasuke informed as he walked back over to them, "I told them your name is Hoji and mine is Yukashi,"

"Hoji?" Suigetsu snorted.

Naruto laughed.

"Yukashi? As in _yukashii_? 'Charming'?" Naruto laughed harder, "You're so full of yourself!"

Sasuke smirked.

"Exactly how long are you planning on tagging along?" Karin muttered, glaring irritatingly at Naruto.

"Maybe…," the blonde trailed off, "Forever?"

Karin gaped.

"You're just going to trouble us all! What are you even here for? What do you do that helps Sasuke?" the would-be red-headed woman ranted.

"I get the feeling you don't want me here," Naruto replied easily. If there was one thing he was familiar with, it was angry females. Between Tsunade, Sakura, Ino, and any Dane Jiraiya bothered, it was ground he found almost comforting.

"Karin," Sasuke said- voice a warning in itself to keep quiet, "Naruto is here because I want him to be. He will stay until I allow otherwise,"

The Uchiha sat down next to Naruto.

"_Allow_?" he asked with an amused smile and raised eyebrows.

"Allow," Sasuke- _Yukashi_- repeated, a blank expression on his face.

Karin crossed her arms and huffed as Naruto's laughter spilled out of his throat and into the rolling waves around them.

When everyone was settled after a fulfilling dinner- of the seafood persuasion, obviously- and the sun had long disappeared, making the air chilly with the sea's mist, Naruto stood at the edge of the boat. He stared at the black waters, testing the strength of his will to the strength of his fear. He could hear the waves slapping on the sides of the boat in time with it's swaying, as it drifted forward. The captain had said they would dock in three days. Three whole days, rocking out at sea. Vulnerable to its whims and force. Naruto shivered.

He thought he could feel his seal tingle and instinctually pressed his palm against the flesh. All it would take to activate it was the proper amount of chakra. What would Sasuke do if he knew of what Naruto had planned?

The blonde laughed quietly to himself. Sasuke would be an ass about it, for sure.

"What are you thinking?"

Speak of the Devil. Naruto glanced from behind his eyelashes- absurdly dark from the jutsu's illusion- at the subject of his thoughts.

"You," he cooed.

Sasuke's lip rose in disgust?- Embarrassment?- and rolled his eyes. The thing about Sasuke was that Naruto could flirt and hit on him all day, just like anyone else, and it made it easier for Sasuke to treat it like nothing. Because, he might have asked Naruto to be there with him, but he was no where near admitting _feelings_.

That's right. He'll tell Sasuke all about his secret after the stubborn Uchiha confessed. Then, it would at least be a little more romantic, right. Naruto couldn't help laughing again. Sasuke, _romantic_.

"You are such a woman,"

_You have no idea_, he wanted to say, hand still rubbing at his stomach. Instead, he just snorted and leaned his weight on the edge of the boat- trying to turn his back to his fear of the rolling water.

"I'm beginning to regret my decision," the shorter of the two began, "I had forgotten how much I hated open water,"

"You're afraid,"

They stared at each other. Naruto wondered if someone who could openly speak of their fears was any better or stronger than someone who hid from them. He glanced at the waves again, and thought no. It doesn't make the fear any less real.

"Yes," he answered simply.

Sasuke stepped closer. Perhaps he was more ready than Naruto thought. Perhaps they would kiss and loose themselves in each other like true lovers did.

When the Uchiha's hand came up to rest on Naruto's shoulder, the teen turned back to the water. If there was anything he feared more than the ocean's might, it was Sasuke's. _Rather drown than see his dark eyes staring at me_, he thought with a dry laugh that had Sasuke curiously pressing closer.

_He'll have me spilling everything before I'm prepared_.

The next day was cold. The shoreline was gone from sight- not that their proximity mattered, what with all of the fog- so thick, it could be cut into shapes and bounced around.

Naruto woke earlier than everyone else, a rare occurrence. It was due to sea-sickness though, and he desperately wished he could just go back to sleep.

"Not too fond of ships, huh?" the captain asked twenty minutes later, when Naruto was still hunched over the side of the rocking thing, staring apathetically as the insides of his stomach drifted away in the water.

"Afraid not," he groaned.

"You've still got a whole two days," the captain laughed.

Naruto turned his face away to cringe, his intestines testing his will power to not up-chuck again. Again.

"I'm hoping I can just sleep most of the time away. The rocking is somewhat soothing,"

"It isn't the rocking that makes you sick?" the bearded sailor asked, leaning closer. The would-be blonde eyed the man suspiciously as he scooted towards him. Pervert.

Or maybe he wasn't being a pervert. Maybe Naruto just happened to take any sort of social or physical advance as perverse.

"Just the water itself,"

"Well," the captain- what was his name?- drawled, "I've been a sailor for about a decade. This weather's nothing' to me. I've traveled through the roughest typhoons and hurricanes,"

Naruto tried not to crack a smile- he'd faced typhoons of his own, though they were usually due to an insane jutsu of some super-enemy. He wondered what was more impressive- a shinobi like himself? Or a seaman?

A heavy hand slammed down on Naruto's shoulder. It took him a moment to realize it was the captain that was initiating the physical contact. He got a nice look at his wrinkles and yellow teeth that were grinning at him.

"You've got nothing to worry about, sweetie. I won't let anything happen,"

_Sweetie_. He inwardly snorted while skillfully stepping away from the boat's edge- and not so coincidently, away from the captain- _Sweetie_. He would have to remember that one for teasing Sasuke later. It had a nice ring to it.

Naruto casually drifted away, convincing himself it was the water making his stomach churn and not the man who was maybe or maybe not oh-so-subtly hitting on him. Sasuke was still lain out by the ship's mast, dead to the world. It was rare to catch the Uchiha sleeping- but it was barely dawn, so Naruto guessed there were exceptions to everything.

As if he belonged no where else- and really, he didn't- Naruto seated himself next to the slumbering man and absently began to comb his dark bangs- much shorter due to the _Henge_. A calloused hand flashed to the smaller male's wrist and squeezed.

"Honestly," Naruto snorted, "You should be able to tell it's me. You're defensiveness is offending,"

Sasuke didn't answer, choosing instead to soften his grip on Naruto's hand and brush the pad of his thumb over the soft skin.

"I'm tired of the smell of salt," he said after a few moments of stretched silence.

The disguised Uchiha snorted.

"That's funny coming from someone who takes in more sodium than should be physically possible,"

"I'll have you know, mister, that I have not eaten ramen in _days_,"

Sasuke's lip curled and Naruto laughed, not caring that the noise would disturb the other sleeping passengers.

_I'll tell you when you can say love to me._

Sai stared, taking in his two team members' reactions.

They crowded around the shiny metal that was reflecting the sun into their wide, disbelieving eyes. The _hitai ate_ was mostly covered in sand, and had Sai not been specifically looking for it, they would have missed it altogether.

It was Kakashi that finally bent down to retrieve the forehead protector. Who knew? It didn't _have_ to be Naruto's. The village symbol was covered with the grainy sand, after all. And even if it _was_ from Konoha, it could still just as easily be anyone's.

Sakura sucked in a strained breath that contorted the fog swirling around her face.

The headband glistened with sea mist, the Leaf insignia glaring at them. A blonde hair- trapped in the thick black fabric- shone brighter than the sun.

Sai watched the color drain- from Kakashi's knuckles, from Sakura's lips and cheeks- as the possibilities began to scream in the forfronts of their minds. The first thought was obvious and it was Sakura who stated it first:

"Naruto must have lost it in the midst of battle," she whispered, he voice flooded and _still_ flowing with confusion and despair.

"There's no sign of a battle taking place," Sai easily knocked away.

There was a prolonged silence, in which no one dared move, fearing a slightest twitch would make the truth come barreling into them.

It all made sense, Sai thought.

Naruto's odd behavior, as small a change it might be. His constant disappearing. The distance he put between his friends.

He even said it in front of them, to Tsunade- I _leave_.

"It could be a traveler's,"

"You're right," Sai nodded, "An irrational, blonde traveler who left his squad in the middle of the night in order to reach someone before-,"

"You don't know that!" Sakura yelled, her voice carryong loudly over the beach, "Naruto wouldn't leave us! He loves his village- he loves _us_. He promised me he would bring Sasuke back!"

Sai smiled.

Kakashi's grip on what the knew to be Naruto's headband slackened and it fell back into the sand.

Again- not for the second or third time, but for the _fifth_ time- he had failed his village, his hokage, his team, and himself. Obito, Rin, Minato, Sasuke, and now, Naruto.

Oh god_, Naruto_.

Sakura had begun to cry- great heaves, each more tortured and more pitiful than the one before.

"_Tell him_, Kakashi-Sensei! Tell Sai-" she gasped for breath in order to get the words out, but her throat closed and hacked out another sob. It echoed down, down into the sway of the ocean.

They knew, though. Despite Sakura's pleas, they _all_ knew that Naruto had left long before he had ever actually stepped foot out of Konoha. It was in the way he closed his eyes and just _sighed_ upon hearing Saskue's name in conversation. It was in his step as he passed the training grounds and instead opted for the library. It was how the blonde smiled at them- as if apologizing, though he hadn't done anything- _yet_. The signs had been there. Details that had seemed inconsequential- were nevertheless, _there_.

It was them that just hadn't wanted to _see_.

Kakashi looked out over the ravenous, angry water- it seemed so much more hostile than it had a few minutes ago.

The distraught girl finally broke, her kness buckling and landing harshly in the sand. Sai would have caught her had he not thought the fall would help mitigate her emotional plummet.

"Why?" she cried- wailed- "_Why!_"

"Because Naruto loves his village," the painter stated plainly, "But he loves Uchiha Sasuke more. And he will never be wherever Sasuke isn't,"

Kakashi nodded robotically, his one eye dull. The statement was nothing new. It was only a matter a time before Naruto realized it himself.

Instead of mourning, they should be thinking it was about time. What were they doing acting alarmed and horrified?

"He's really gone," Sakura croaked, voice thick laden with weeping, "Forever?"

Would Naruto ever return? Sai considered. Sasuke would spend his days gaining the revenge he so desperately sought and after that- who knew? Not come back to Konoha, that was for sure. Which meant Naruto wouldn't be either.

Sai closed his eyes against the bright sun: "Forever,"

"That idiot," Sakura sniffed, wiping mucus on her shirt, "He'll be gone a week before he realizes Sasuke's an ass and comes crying back,"

It wasn't likely. But Kakashi didn't have the strength, mind nor body, to tell the young woman otherwise.

"Should we look for them?" Sai asked Kakashi.

"No. We won't find them unless Sasuke wants to be found,"

"And Naruto? Does Sasuke love Naruto?"

The two males looked at the crumpled woman in the sand thoughtfully. It was a good question- did Sasuke love even return the love Naruto felt for him? Would Naruto find happiness with the cold Uchiha?

"Even if he doesn't, Naruto won't leave for anything," Kakashi stated sadly. Even if Sasuke tormented Naruto with false affections and cruelties, the stubborn boy would stuck to him until the day he died. It was sad.

And a few hundred miles down the coast, a certain blonde was asking himself the very same question.

"Let's go," Kakashi ordered softly and offered his hand to Sakura.

They turned their backs on the ocean, brows furrowed in pain and heads ducked low to the ground.

The road home would be long.

_**TBC….4025**_


	4. Chapter 3

**Summery: He shocked the world by taking that outstretched hand of opportunity, and when they asked him why, he just smiled and waved goodbye. "Love makes a man lose his common sense"- they just didn't expect him to actually throw it away.**

**Warnings: Mpreg and other rated M things.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto**

**Chapter Three: Observe**

All of Konoha was blanketed in a heavy silence as word got around that Team Kakashi had returned without Naruto. Rumors were already spreading and theories were being tossed around like a game of catch- he was killed by Sasuke, he finally snapped under the pressure of being a demon, he ran away like a coward, he was captured by the Akatsuki, on and on and on. Young ninja-in-training dared each other to sneak looks into Naruto's deserted apartment to see if they could find any clues as to where the blonde might be.

Tsunade rested her forehead against the cool glass of her office's window. Kakashi slumped deeper into his chair. It seemed the village's entire ninja force was gathered in the usually spacious room.

"Uzumaki Naruto," she began, gaining the attention of the room's occupants, "has resigned from the shinobi ranks,"

Sakura closed her eyes, unwilling to look at the grief on her friends' faces as the information began to sink in.

"_Resigned_?" Kiba hissed.

"His whereabouts are currently unknown," Tsunade said with a nod, "He was last seen heading in the direction of the Great Naruto Bridge with a member of Sasuke's team by the locals there,"

Ino bowed her head in silent resignation.

"He finally went," Neji stated dully, "To Sasuke,"

The Hokage clamped down hard on her tongue at the bitter taste of sorrow.

"Yes," she bit out.

_It was only a matter of time._

Karin watched the two in front of her with a shrewd gaze.

Naruto was biting his lip in concentration, his hands out before him with a tight fist over his other palm. Suigetsu growled, his crossed legs twitching with anticipation as he imitated the pose.

"Rock," Naruto murmured, shoulders tensing.

"Paper," Suigetsu replied, just as taught.

"_Scissors_!"

The blonde crowed with victory as he won _again_.

"How do you do that?" Suigetsu demanded angrily, "It's as if you _know_!"

Juugo snorted as he stared at the rabbit he was nursing over the camp fire, prodding it with a stick so it rotated on it's rotisserie.

A muscle began to tick on Karin's forehead. What did Suigetsu think he was _doing_, getting all friendly with the intruder? Naruto wasn't their friend! He wasn't some new recruit. He was baggage. An annoying fly buzzing around Sasuke's head, distracting him and bothering him.

"Natural instinct. You're easy to read," Naruto answered simply, leaning back in the lush grass and folding his arms behind his head. Suigetsu glared.

"Hey," the blonde spoke up, looking at Karin, "Where did Sasuke go? We can't eat dinner without him,"

Karin laughed.

"Sasuke eats wherever and whenever he wants,"

Naruto's face shifted into a bored expression as he glanced up at the orange and pink highlighted sky.

"We wait for him, okay?"

The lone female started at the calm command- surprised by how gentle yet firm the rambunctious man's voice could be. She studied his face carefully and something told her that Naruto had practice to perfection in waiting for Sasuke for a long, long time.

Juugo doused most of the fire out with dirt so the rabbit wouldn't burn. The smoke trailed up and up and Naruto watched the spiraling patterns with lazy eyes. There was something relaxing in traveling around with no set destination. So far, they had just been following a non-existent trail to find Itachi- no clues or anything. It was the aimless wandering that created a sense of peace- no deadlines to meet, no mission reports to fill.

Despite that feel of ease, the blonde could tell that ever since they had left ship four days ago, the youngest Uchiha's patience was beginning to wear thin. Sasuke's bad mood was becoming more evident.

When the elusive man returned to their little hide-out in the trees, he had water and food with him- but the heavy scowl told Naruto there had been no information on the Akatsuki's whereabouts.

Per Naruto's request, Juugo passed out equal rations to himself and the other three, Sasuke ignoring the offered food in favor for sitting high up in the tree branches. The blonde rolled his eyes and scooted closer to the smoldering ashes.

"Hey, Sasuke,"

Like everyone expected, Naruto was ignored.

"Sasuke, this is unbecoming,"

Karin raised her eyebrows as Naruto waited- for Sasuke to acknowlegde him? For him to answer his call? Karin wasn't sure. But he _waited_, with a casual ease that just screamed how deeply he knew the Uchiha, as if he was born for the mere purpose of being there for when Sasuke decided he didn't want anyone to wait anymore.

Then Naruto growled, the patience snapping, and Karin hoped it meant Naruto didn't know Sasuke quite as well as she feared.

"Get your ass down here, and stop pouting just because you can't catch wind of Itachi,"

There was silence, in which everyone fully expected Naruto to drop dead. No one talked to Sasuke like that and lived to tell the tale. _No_ one. Not even in Naruto's case.

Sasuke threw a shuriken that landed between Naruto's splayed fingers in the grass, and Naruto sighed and plucked it from the dirt.

"God, you're _such_ a drama queen. I know you didn't eat this morning, you idiot. I _said_-"

The Uchiha dropped from the trees to stand menacingly over the blathering blonde, _Sharingan_ tomoe spinning wildly around.

_This is it_, Karin thought, _Naruto is finally going to die_.

"About time," Naruto muttered, grabbing Sasuke's sleeve and yanking him to the ground beside him. Sasuke opened his mouth to retort, but Naruto just shoved his portion of rabbit into his mouth, efficiently shutting the Uchiha up.

"So god damn stubborn,"

Sasuke just smirked, chewing around the meat.

Karin gaped, glancing frantically up at Suigetsu and Juugo to see if they had seen what she had. They refused to make eye-contact.

The dinner was eaten in silence.

They never saw Sasuke sleeping. It was a simple fact- and now, they barely ever saw Naruto sleeping. For the two males always sat together at night or disappeared from the camp, not to be seen again until morning. Occasionally, they would find Naruto thrown out under a tree, a blanket tossed carelessly over his bare shoulders.

Karin took note of these mornings and used Naruto's sleeping in as an added reason to his need to leave. But for some inexplicable reason, Sasuke never woke up Naruto until well into lunch time with a certain gentleness they had never before witnessed. It seemed things like that were happening a lot ever since Naruto joined their little band of Sound nin.

Suigetsu only laughed at her when she voiced these observations.

"You can't ignore it forever!" Karin hissed as they scouted the area for signs of activity of a certain S-Class group.

"It's none of our business," Juugo muttered.

"But they're so…- so _close_!"

"Naruto told me they've known each other since they were really young. Like, five or something. You're just paranoid," Suigetsu laughed out.

Karin groaned.

"Just _watch_ them, Suigetsu," the red haired woman insisted, "Seriously- it's like their in some whole different dimension,"

"You think too much," was the swordsman said. Of course he had noticed Naruto and Sasuke's relationship- whatever it may be. He had seen them at the beach, how caught up in each other they had been, how Sasuke's eyes had bore into Suigetsu's in a clear message to _get lost_. It didn't take a genius to notice the two might have something more going on than the 'best friends' card. Suigetsu was just choosing to tactfully ignore it. What would bringing it up do besides rile Karin into a fit?

It was one of those mornings, they noted, where Naruto and Sasuke would disappear the whole day and night. They knew because when they woke up, the day's food was already out for them and a mao to the nearest village was pinned with a 'Behave!' scribbled in what they could guess was Naruto's handwriting.

Naruto hoped Karin wouldn't come looking for them.

They were walking, though there was no destination in mind, other than _away_. Sasuke was in a mood again and needed to escape the atmosphere his team radiated. Which was, in a word, irritating. Naruto could tell the Uchiha wasn't particularly fond of his comrades, and he wondered why he bothered to go through the trouble of keeping them around. Then again, Naruto knew Karin also wondering the same thing about _him_. She did have a point: What did Naruto do for Sasuke?

_Moral support?_ He thought humorously. He snorted, earning a raised eyebrow from his Uchiha- yes, _his_ Uchiha, for who else did the man belong to if not to him?- which he waved off.

No, he wasn't here to contribute- that had never been the motive. Though he suspected his prowess in the battlefield would be appreciated when the time called for it. Like Juugo, Naruto was a power house.

_I'm here because this is where I need to be_, he finally decided, reaching for Sasuke's pale hand stubbornly. If that answer wasn't good enough for everyone, then they'd have to get over it.

The dark haired man glanced back at Naruto quizzically, before hesitantly returning a light squeeze to Naruto's fingers. The blonde inwardly grinned, sure that if Sasuke caught how pleased he was, the Uchiha would retreat from the contact.

_You're warming up to me, Uchiha_.

The trees grew shorter and less crowded as they strolled, and a river could be heard rushing by ahead.

"Hey, Sasuke-"

His voice died in his throat when he felt a violent tug to his hand that sent him crashing to the sodden ground below. A heavy weight- that he quickly identified as Sasuke's- followed, pinning him effectively to the earth. Dark eyes stared into Naruto's blue before he felt a light brush of smooth skin over his lips.

"_Naruto_,"

The blonde's breath hitched in his throat at the need in the Uchiha's tone- his practically a groan. Naruto blinked.

It had finally come to this, he realized, knowing that Sasuke would not stop until he was thoroughly taken. Was he scared? A little. Ready? Who knows.

But he knew Sasuke needed something like this to escape, and maybe that was the true reason for him staying.

They kissed fully this time, Naruto getting a full blast of Sasuke's fluctuating chakra that was melting into his own. He gasped, feeling the seal tingle from the contact of another's essence. If this went any farther, it would activate.

The Uchiha sensed Naruto's strayed thoughts and bit harshly on his bottom lip.

"-Aah," he breathed, arching against Sasuke's chest.

The blonde was about to say something that would ruin the mood, so things wouldn't get carried too far out of his control when Sasuke ground his hips into Naruto's so hard his strength was viciously ripped from his body. Even knowing that the hidden seal would react to something as simple as Sasuke adding chakra to their… _act_, Naruto sighed in resignation.

Smiling with a slight roll of his eyes, he surrendered, allowing himself to fall prey to the Uchiha's intentions.

With a lethargy of all the time in the world, Sasuke shed himself of his shirt and leaned over Naruto, casting him in a shadow. Pale fingers deftly unhooked the blonde's vest, brushing it aside to engulf a nipple in his hot mouth.

Naruto sighed in relief. The Uchiha hadn't paused to notice the extra seal entwining at the bottom of the _Nine Tails_.

The Uzumaki hissed in a breath as Sasuke's tongue teased the darkened flesh to hardness. His skin flushed at the attentions.

Not letting Sasuke have the full role of dominance, Naruto reached for the end of his bow and harshly tugged it loose. Sasuke paused and their eyes met, Naruto's wide irises dancing playfully with lust (and emotions deeper, though Naruto knew Sasuke wouldn't acknowledge them yet). The bow fell to the ground around them, among their tops. Not one for indirectness, Naruto didn't waste time in kicking out of his pants.

Naruto's nails raked over Sasuke's chest, causing the taller of the two to let out a soft groan, and the blonde's briefs all but disappeared from his body. His sensitized flesh felt exposed upon being released from the fabric's confines.

"Nn- Sasuke!" the blonde mewled, a callused palm grasping his already hard erection firmly.

Naruto felt teeth grasping the skin of his neck and lolled his head back to submit more of the area to the Uchiha. Another moan escaped him as the tips of his fingers sought purchase in Sasuke's smooth shoulders, his mind fighting to grasp onto something solid.

A breathy chuckle brushed his ear as three fingers presented themselves at his swollen lips. Sasuke's thumb brushed Naruto's chin- affectionately, the blonde noted with a little triumph- as he accepted the digits.

A hard bulge pressed impatiently to the cleft of Naruto's ass, a warning of preparation. Let it not be questioned of whether or not Sasuke's girth is capable of blowing anyone into oblivion- assuming what Naruto felt at his backside was anything to go by.

Naruto stared, lids half-mast, into fathomless ebony eyes as his tongue enveloped Sasuke's long fingers, swirling around and wriggling in between, teeth nipping the pads lightly. Heat flashed in the Uchiha's orbs, and Naruto felt the tight body above him gyrate into him, in a _hurry up_ way.

Sasuke was not romantic. If Naruto ever asked him to be more so, the blonde would expect the Uchiha to mock him, accuse him of being a woman with something like 'I have no need for such fancies'. Or something equally indifferent and bastardly. But all of the crass behavior was okay for the blonde, because it made more _real_. Sasuke didn't put a front on for Naruto; he didn't pretend they were something else. All their lives, they had been that way. Sex wouldn't change that fact.

So Naruto was not surprised at all to the lack of romance in their 'first time'. They weren't in a nice, comfortable bed- they were in the dirt and grass, in the middle of a forest after going a couple of days without a shower.

Sasuke didn't look deeply into Naruto's eyes and ask for permission before penetrating him. He yanked his fingers from the warmth the blonde's mouth offered and didn't even warn him before plunging two of them in, knuckles deep.

Sasuke didn't whisper sweet-nothings in his ear or kiss him or offer an apology. And he knew neither of them had any lube, so the actual taking part was going to be a pain in the ass. Pun intended.

No… he did the best and worst thing possible.

He poured chakra from his finger tips right into Naruto's prostate, causing him to scream in surprise as the gate of his_ Konomoshi_ seal- _not_ the Kyuubi's, mind you- burst open and his body greedily sucked in the numbingly pleasurable buzz of power radiating from the Uchiha's hand.

Oh _god_, he could feel the seal burning on his skin, and he wondered if Sasuke could see it glowing, but their bodies were close, and he prayed the Uchiha was too horny to notice anything. If his _Sharingan_ activated, he would see. And if not that, he would notice his chakra being sucked out until the seal was satisfied.

Naruto clenched his teeth and started running his own chakra into the force at the base of his stomach, hoping to appease the binding markings before he took too much of Sasuke's.

_This isn't supposed to happen yet_, he thought frantically, crying as his prostate was struck again, _We were supposed to decide together_.

But there was no stopping now. Another finger joined in the dance, and Naruto bit his lip as a strangled moan of Sasuke's name slipped out. He could feel the Uchiha's eyes watching his face.

"_Please_," Naruto whispered out desperately, lifting his hips and tilting his head to the side in submission. Again, that overpowering heat flooded Sasuke's face, and with a final jolt of his chakra- that nearly sent Nruto over the edge- he withdrew his fingers.

There was a hasty, hot mouth pressing against his as Naruto heard the unbuckling of Sasuke's pants. He wrapped his arms tighter around his pale neck, fists clenching hard in dark hair, dampened with sweat.

There was a second of alignment before Sasuke was there, pressing, pressing- filling Naruto's body to its limit. They lay there trembling at the force of the connection between them- partly due to the humming seal. Naruto couldn't even remember the name of it at that point. Sasuke's hands gripped tightly onto the tan body beneath him in a way that suggested he feared it might disappear.

"Naruto," he ground out- the first words he spoke since the very beginning of their sexual escapade- after a painfully long minute, "I _have_ to move,"

Naruto nodded, eyes clenched as he felt his insides tug with Sasuke's motions. Being a shinobi, he had pain endurance, so the stretching wasn't even comparable to the pain building up in his abdomen. Whether it was the _Konomoshi_ or his impending climax, he was unsure.

"Yes!" Naruto gasped, and again: "Ah, yes, _yes_," -In time was Sasuke's shallow, testing thrusts.

He yanked impatiently at the Uchiha's dark locks to get him to move in earnest. Pale hips snapped forward, and Naruto's vision blurred as he gazed dazedly up at the canopy of trees above them.

They never got a chance to set a proper rhythm. After years of pent up sexual frustration and desires, Sasuke barely had the time to establish a pattern in his thrusting before they were both careening over the edge. Naruto held on for as long as he could, but with the intoxicating rush of Sasuke's chakra coursing through his body and his pulsing member plowing into his prostrate, his orgasm was upon him.

He savored his climax, inhaling Sasuke's musky scent and holding him closer. His inner walls racked with spasms that clenched and tightened around Sasuke's flesh, sucking him in deeper and holding him there until the Uchiha himself released. Naruto shivered uncontrollably around Sasuke as he felt the warmth of his seed shooting within him.

They collapsed in a heap of stickiness and satisfaction while a few more spurts of chakra rushed through Naruto.

In each other's arms, ignoring the uncomfortable wet and heat, they lay still, listening to each other breathe. Sasuke rolled off of Naruto and looked up and down at the messy, panting blonde with a thick look of smugness. Naruto was too distracted by the strong tingle in his stomach to bother commenting.

"You're too tempting for your own good," he growled, nuzzling Naruto's neck. The blonde raised his eyebrows- he wasn't born with the talent to raise one at a time- at how forward Sasuke was being. Ha had expected the Uchiha to grow cold again.

"You should see the way men look at you. You must have gotten a lot of attention in Konoha,"

Naruto hmm'ed, running his fingers through Sasuke's hair as the man lazily marked his tan neck with his teeth for the umpteenth time.

"I stayed out of the way for the most part," he replied, thinking back on how flirty Sai could get, "Though it never escalated to this degree,"

Sasuke pulled back to smirk maliciously, though Naruto could see shadows of surprise in his eyes.

"This was your first," it was not a question.

"Naturally," Naruto stated smoothly, closing his eyes and relaxing into the Uchiha's tightening embrace.

Sasuke didn't say anything, but the blonde knew he was pleased. It was _way_ too cheesy to say 'I was saving myself for you', even if it was the truth. Though Naruto admitted to himself that his sexual appeal _had_ increased over the last year- as had his popularity in the village bars. Thinking back on the village reminded Naruto of how far he had come, making that same swell of _love_- there was no other way to say it- to rise in his chest.

He felt the need to tell Sasuke how much he missed him again, and he did.

"Dobe," Sasuke murmured, resting his mouth to Naruto's hairline, and not fully understanding Naruto's words, "I haven't gone anywhere,"

They sunbathed in the light that filtered through the leaves until the call of that near-by river grew too tempting a notion to ignore any longer. Leaving their clothes and shoes where they lay, scattered, Sasuke pulled Naruto to his feet and half-carried him through the shrubbery to the rushing water.

The two eased into the cool liquid- still a little too cold, Naruto thought- and let the water soak into their skin.

Naruto fell back into the water, sinking to the bottom of the shallow depths, running his fingers through his dirtied hair. He pressed a palm to the flesh of the seal and grimaced. There was no doubt what would happen in the next few months. How would he tell Sasuke? How do you tell anyone that with the help of a mortal enemy, you placed a seal on yourself that enabled you to carry a life- to _conceive_ life. Conceive. An action that shouldn't be possible to any male.

The blonde raised himself to the surface when his lungs ran out and wiped the water from his face. Sasuke was wading in the middle of the river, the water not quite waist high, leaving the Uchiha's dark trail of hair visible. Their eyes met and a pale hand slowly rose and hovered in the air before a finger curled, beckoning him over.

"Come,"

Naruto obliged, taking Sasuke's still raised hand in his own. With more gentleness than the blonde thought Sasuke would ever bother using, - and perhaps he wasn't giving the Uchiha enough credit- he ran his hands across Naruto's chest and stomach, rinsing away the sticky evidence of their experience with every brush. It was then that Sasuke noticed.

"Your seal…" he trailed off, kneeling a little in front of it, curiosity flashing in his dark eyes.

Naruto felt his gut squirm. It was now or never.

"It's actually a different seal overlapping the first,"

"Is it?" Sasuke asked, leaning forward for what Naruto assumed was to get a closer look.

"Yes. It's a chakra reserve of sorts- only it's purpose…"

Honestly, the blonde was doing his very best to explain just how serious the seal was for the both of them- just how big of a burden it already was-, but when a hot tongue began tracing the swirls of his 'tattoo', Naruto's words crashed to a halt.

His arousal stirred as he watched Sasuke bite and suck at his tanned skin, leaving red and sometimes even purple contusions everywhere. He noted there were probably several all over his neck that would be a little difficult to hide or explain later. Naruto's shaky, buckling knees jerked when he felt a hand travel up his inner thigh, balls, and finally, rest on his already hardening length.

Those dark, dark eyes captured his and the shear force of it made him fall into the water. Naruto was embarrassed that he was so easily affected by something so small as Sasuke caught him, the Uchiha's laughter floating up to his ears.

"I had assumed that your travels with Jiraiya would lead to your deflowering, but now it's obvious you're-"

Naruto shoved the Uchiha's head under the water in his flustered state. When Sasuke came back up, water running in rivulets down his chiseled chest, Naruto's mouth went dry.

"I don't mind," Sasuke whispered, coming close again, to press their re-heating bodies together, "Just be prepared to come. _Over and over and over_,"

Naruto's eyes widened as his stomach tightened with need, his seal like a live beast, flaring out instinctively to snag onto Sasuke's chakra. Pale lips descended to his and Naruto didn't leave those woods until he was forced into unconsciousness hours later when the sun had long past set.

The blonde blacked out thinking _Uchiha Sasuke is a man of his word_.

Sasuke gazed down at the ravaged blonde and pressed his forehead to his, watching the young man sleep. He located his briefs and pants, making quick work of them, before gathering Naruto's discarded clothes. Not fond of the idea of redressing the younger, in a fit of possessiveness, Sasuke draped his white shirt around Naruto's shoulders and tied it loosely to his stomach, covering his seals.

Naruto had definitely matured, Sasuke observed, for his body had developed into a tight, slim weapon. A ridiculously alluring weapon. The Uchiha tried to remember a time when he had thought of Naruto as _sexy_ instead of cute.

With ease, he lifted what was his- and that included Naruto, he added to himself boastfully- and headed back towards their encampment.

It was already beyond dark when the Uchiha came to the spot and he was thankful that his tent was too far away from the fire for Karin and the others to see him and Naruto. He wasn't ready to deal with that headache yet.

He hadn't been noticed yet, and for that, he was grateful. Laying Naruto on his own roll-out, the pale man pulled on a simple black shirt and changed into a clean pair of trousers. Naruto mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like 'Sasuke' in his sleep.

Sasuke stared at the beautiful man- handsome just didn't seem delicate enough- and felt his chest clinch with a feeling he knew he only got around the blonde. His mind wandered to the day they had spent together and a true smile, though tired and small it may be, wormed it's way to his mouth. Sasuke could get used to that.

After today, he didn't _care_ that Naruto was a distraction from his revenge. He guessed that this was what one would call past the point of no return.

Carefully, even though he knew Naruto could sleep through an earthquake, Sasuke pulled his blanket up to the blonde's chin and exited the tent, hoping there was some supper left for him. After a whole day of outlasting Naruto's endless stamina, the Uchiha was famished.

Settling by Juugo and Karin at the fire, a bowl of vegetable stew was handed over to him.

"Where is Naruto?" Karin asked, always the first to start questioning.

"Asleep,"

Karin seemed to pout.

"…Did you have fun today?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her, before seriously considering the question. A flashback of Naruto, screaming his name as he impaled himself on the Uchiha's engorged cock, lingered in his mind and he gave a wide smirk that had Karin staring.

"I did,"

Silence settled in which Suigetsu calmly set his unfinished bowl on the ground, looking a little grim. Sasuke, still lost in his perversion, craned his neck to look up at the starry sky.

"Sasuke! Is that a bug-bite?" Karin demanded, pointing to a reddened, swollen circle on his neck, underneath his ear.

The Uchiha blinked as Suigetsu sputtered and choked out a strangled giggle. Karin rounded on him.

"What's so funny?" she snapped.

"A bug! It was a really big bug," Suigetsu gasped around his chuckles.

Sasuke stayed silent- as Karin seemed too busy with getting the pale haired swordsman to stop laughing for him to actually answer.

After quickly finishing his bowl of soup, he refilled it to cover and save for Naruto when he woke up. Standing with the full container in his hand, he ignored his three team recruits and retreated to his shared tent. Usually, after Naruto fell asleep, tired from holding a conversation all by himself all day, Sasuke would leave him to his own bedding. But after today, after being as close as physically possible, it seemed almost necessary to have the blonde beside him- especially when he was so vulnerable.

Karin squinted at the tent through the dark.

"Naruto is sleeping. In that tent,"

Suigetsu stared blankly at her, waiting for the connection in her brain to get signal.

"And Sasuke is sleeping there too,"

She closed her eyes and didn't say anything else for the rest of the night.

Closing the tent flap behind him, Sasuke crawled to his knees. Pulling the blanket back, the Uchiha gathered Naruto towards himself and buried his nose comfortably in golden tresses.

_**To Be Continued….4801**_


	5. Chapter 4

Summery: "Uzumaki Naruto has resigned from the Shinobi Ranks. His whereabouts are unknown,"- They could only bow their heads in silent resignition. "He finally went," Neji sighed, "To Sasuke," In which Naruto leaves to find his true home. SasuNaru Eventual Mpreg

Warnings: Mpreg and other rated M things.

Disclaimer: Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto

*Edit: There is some Karin bashing in this that I've been trying to avoid, but it adds plot sooo… I'm trying to keep it mild. Hope it seems realistic.

**Chapter Four: Morning Troubles**

Naruto woke up sweaty and sore, hating his existence and hating Sasuke even more.

"Argh," he groaned, grimacing at the stale morning taste in his mouth and the chapped condition of his lips. The skin around his neck, mouth, crotch, and arse- hell, _everywhere, _he wanted to whine- felt abused and tender to any general movement in any general direction.

"If that bastard thinks I'm moving an inch for the next three days, I'm shoving a _Rasengan_ up his ass," the blonde muttered darkly to himself, glancing around the bright tent.

The Uchiha was no where in sight, much to his chagrin, so he attempted to sit up, cursing and moaning all the way. There was an uneasy churning in Naruto's stomach that had him clawing his way out of the tent to throw up his stomach's contents- mostly water- into the grass. He felt the blood the blood drain from his face, his eyes wide as he realized what this morning sickness _meant_.

_Shit_.

He should have thought to carry condoms. He shouldn't have let the foreplay gone beyond that.

"Shit," he hissed out loud this time.

"No kidding," he heard Suigetsu's mocking voice call over to him, "You look like something mauled you yesterday. Oh wait- you _did_ get mauled, didn't you?"

Naruto glared at the man, his creepy leer making the blonde self-conscious that made him look down. With a flush of blood to his face, he realized he was only wearing Sasuke's white shirt, that had come extremely loose in his sleep, exposing all of his legs, most of his shoulders, and a good portion of his chest. Suigetsu didn't bother to pretend to not enjoy the view.

With an angry scowl, Naruto tugged the shirt tighter around his frame, not at all liking how much bigger is was on him than it was on Sasuke. He was about to tell man- that now eerily reminded him of Kisame- to can it when his insides protested for the second time, and he was staring at the insides of his stomach again.

"That's hot," he snorted sarcastically.

"Fuck you,"

"You seem pretty taken, and property of an Uchiha is not something I'm too keen on trespassing,"

Naruto decided to let that comment slide, instead ducking back into the tent and pulling on some black capree's as quickly as he could with his stiff body before his guts decided to come again up. He hesitated in whether or not to change his shirt, but the sickness hanging over him decided for him and he was out of the little cover before he could ruin its interior.

"What time is it?" Naruto asked Suigetsu, glancing around the empty campsite. He couldn't feel Sasuke's chakra signature anywhere.

"Noon. Everyone else has gone to a deserted establishment that we think is an old Akatsuki hideout,"

Naruto smiled, glad that Sasuke had finally gotten a tip-off.

"I was told to feed you this- with force if need be- when you wake up," the swordsman mumbled, passing Naruto a bowl of porridge and dried deer meat.

They sat in the shade of the trees, silence settling over the two as Naruto dutifully ate the food- even though he wasn't really fond of the celery that was in the soup. He couldn't complain about that when at this point, he was praying that his stomach would accept anything.

The blonde felt a heavy gaze on him and finally looked up to see dazed purple eyes _ogling_ him.

"_What_?" he snapped, loosing patience.

"You guys really had sex, huh?"

Naruto felt his eye twitching as he face-palmed his forehead, wincing at the crick in his neck.

"So, are you guys lovers?"

The blonde filled his mouth so he wouldn't be able to answer.

"Friends with benefits?"

"Husbands?"

Naruto choked on his stew, forced to spit it out on the grass.

_Husbands_!

It made him laugh, his loud cackles echoing sharply around the trees and bouncing back at him.

"Well, what are you?" Suigetsu asked impatiently, his hand coming up to smack Naruto on the back to knock the food from his wind passage.

"Why is it that you want to know so badly?" the blande retorted, wiping tears of mirth from his blonde lashes.

"So I won't get killed if I hit on you! I mean, besides you, the only eye candy around here is Karin and she's hot, but her personality kills it. If you're not with Sasuke, maybe I have a shot?"

Naruto grinned painfully.

"You would probably get killed. And no offence, but I only seduced you so you would take me to Sasuke. You're not exactly my type,"

Suigetsu seemed to fall into deep thought, still staring at Naruto. He scratched his head and tapped his chin with a finger.

"It's my teeth, isn't it?"

They both looked at each other for a beat of silence and laughed wildly.

"Man, you're _covered_ in Uchiha. Karin's going to flip when she sees you waering that-" he pointed to Naruto's chest, indicating the shirt-" and with all of those hickies? You're a sunk ship,"

Naruto shrugged.

"It's not like we were hiding anything. We just never made an effort to let it be known," _Whatever _it_ was_, Naruto thought. The best word Suigetsu had come up with would have been lovers, but was that really it?

Naruto smiled privately to himself. _No; we're _us_. And that's all. Us, we- together._

After eating all he could of his breakfast, Naruto looked around for his pack before returning to his and Sasuke's tent. Karin couldn't do anything, but Suigetsu was right. Better not cause a scene.

He dug around until he found a grey, kimono-styled top to tie on. He gasped at the amount of marks littering his body.

_Holy shit- I look like I was… mauled_, Naruto finished off lamely, unable to think of any other adjective that wrapped his state of being up so well.

There were nail marks scattered randomly down his chest and stomach, and there were bruises on his underarms from where Sasuke's had held him so tightly- though nothing compared to the bites-and-suck lesions that clustered around his nipples, hips, and stomach. He was positive that his neck was even worse off.

With a sigh of contempt that the Kyuubi hadn't healed his bruises, Naruto finished pulling on his shirt and left the tent for what he hoped would be the last time until nightfall. He settled himself at a tree's roots and glared at the seal on his stomach. Though, in the end he couldn't really complain to the old fox- the Kyuubi was busy feeding the leech of a seal on his body a constant trickle of chakra.

Naruto involuntarily rested his hand on his stomach, where his womb was being created. Well, it would actually be a tightly laced chakra cocoon, forming right under his skin to hold and grow with the child that would eventually grow. On a molecular level, using the DNA from both himself and Sasuke's well, _seed_, their combined chakra would force them together, much like a natural pregnancy. Hence why the chakra of an outsider triggered the_ Konomoshi_ seal. The fetus would grow for around five months- the raw chakra causing the embryo to develop faster than normal- before Naruto sliced his belly open and released the seal, birthing a baby into the world. That was the grand plan.

Because the thought of Sasuke being with a woman, another _person_, was too much. For once, Naruto had allowed himself to take the selfish route- to forget his promise with Sakura, to break his oaths to the village, and go beyond the laws of nature. Naruto smiled to himself. If there was anyone who could do all that, of course it would be an infamous _jinchuuriki_. And all because of one man!

_It's worth it_, Naruto thought, _I'd do it all again_.

Naruto felt the lull of sleep as he relaxed against the tree's base, his eyes fogging with the remains of exhaustion from yesterday.

The blonde awoke to a strange buzzing throughout his body, that had him shivering and quaking. He let out a startled noise as a sharp sting raced from his stomach to his fingertips. The sound alerted Suigetsu who poked his head from around a tree, zipping up the fly of his white pants- having obviously finished relieving himself-, a concerned look washing over his face.

Naruto gasped as the pain radiated through him again.

"Hey," he called uncertainly, approaching Naruto with caution, "You all right?"

"_No_," the blonde hissed in return, "Water,"

Naruto could only guess his internal make-up was shifting in order to make room for the rapidly growing faux uterus. Hopefully, this would pass before Sasuke got back. Somehow, he couldn't imagine a 'Hey, why are you sick?' 'Oh, that? I'm just pregnant with your kid' would go very smoothly.

Or maybe it would. So far, the Uchiha had surprised him by being so soft. He imagined Sasuke's time spent with Orochimaru had made him a little more cold.

A canteen of water was presented to him and he eagerly grasped at it, letting the cool liquid slide easily down his throat. He focused chakra to his hand and forced it into his seal, hoping to speed up the process. The pain doubled for only an instant, before fading away to a dull ache.

Naruto took a steadying breath.

"You look pretty sick, man," Suigetsu stated.

"I need to go lie down again. Help me up,"

The pale haired man pulled the smaller blonde to his feet and carried most of his weight until they reached Sasuke's tent that he had left pitched for Naruto. Suigetsu studied the abnormally pale boy with a frown. Had Sasuke done something to Naruto?

"Let's not tell anyone else about this, yeah?" Naruto sighed out, slowly leaning his body against the swordsman in a persuasion tactic before practically falling into the shelter.

Suigetsu mindlessly nodded.

Naruto stared up at the roof of the tent, his hand rubbing soothing circles into his stomach, all the while pouring chakra into the skin until he might deplete of it. The pain had gone, only a memory to him now, though still a recent one. His body was covered in a sheen of sweat from the stress on his body.

The blonde fancied he could feel a bump beginning to swell, and the thought sent him into a dizzying spiral of awe and excitement. It had only been a day and already, he was wondering what the kid would look like. Would it be a girl or a boy? Due to the XY chromosomes, it was a fifty-fifty chance of either. Thon** would definitely develop the _Sharingan_- no doubt. Any child of Sasuke and himself was bound to be ridiculously gifted. And if not, Naruto would love him- or her- just the same.

Would he have dark hair? Golden tinted skin? Would his nose be angular like Sasuke's or pudgier like Naruto's? How tall would he be?

The possibilities were endless.

Rolling onto his side and pulling the covers up to his neck, Naruto wrapped his arms around himself and grinning, tears prickling the corners of his eyes.

When he had first decided to run to Orochimaru's for help, Naruto had been scared. So many things could happen in Sound that could go terribly wrong. And in that same sense, the blonde was positive he would be terrified come the actual event of him conceiving. But in all honesty, he was at peace.

It felt like he had accomplished a great feat in knowing that the technique was _working_ on the first try. He had been prepared for trial and error- for his and Sasuke's struggling to get the seal cooperate. But as if the life that was just forming already wanted to live, it had latched on and bitten deep, its new existence never wavering.

Naruto breathed in Sasuke's scent deeply, his face buried in the pillow as he continued to cry in pure _wonder_. He lay there, heaving in deep gulps of air and leaking out gushes of tears, the smile on his face gentle and content. He would not think of the future, of the battles ahead- he only thought of _now_ and the pulsing life within him and the man he hoped to build a family with.

This was selfishness in its purest form: when he was so blissfully happy for being caught up in himself, that nothing else , no-where, no-when, no-one, mattered.

Naruto didn't know how long he lay there, holding his belly close. There were no more bombards of pain though he did occasionally break out into sweats. When he could see a significant decrease in light coming through the tent, the blonde rolled back onto his back and slowly sat up, muscles tight again.

It was early evening, he confirmed after stepping out of the tent, and his stomach gave a rumble.

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty's up,"

Naruto smiled at the shark man- _not_ Kisame- and settled next to the simmering fire.

"I'm ready to sleep in a real bed," the blonde complained, rubbing at a sore spot on his neck, "Would it kill Sasuke to let us stay at an inn every once in a while?"

"He says it's a waste of food money," Suigetsu shrugged, poking the fire with a stick to get it going. A strong gust of wind blew the smoke in his face, leaving it comically covered in soot. Naruto laughed and leaned over to wipe a streak of it off of Suigetsu's nose.

"He doesn't know what he's talking about,"

They stared into each other's eyes, and Naruto inwardly winced at how flirtatious that move had been. _Oops_.

"Anyways," he announced in a loud voice, looking away and retreated quickly, "What's for dinner? I'm starving,"

"The others are on their way back, and they're bringing some good stuff from a village. I just got the message,"

Naruto nodded gratefully, letting his chakra flow backwards so that he could feel the buzz of natural energy surrounding him. He mapped out the area in search for Sasuke and found him a few miles off to the west. They had been traveling in a steady southwestern route in order to get around the Fire Country's outskirts, so as not to run into any Leaf shinobi.

It wasn't long before Karin came bursting through the trees, an angry scowl on her face as she nursed a bloody nose, crimson lining down her lips and chin.

Suigetsu immediately began to poke fun at her.

"Nice face. I like it better that way. Kind of makes it hard to recognize the ugly,"

Karin shot him a glare before stalking off to her stuff and disappearing into the woods, bag in hand.

"What happened?" Naruto asked, hastily standing from his spot as Juugo appeared.

The orange haired boy stared at him apathetically before shrugging.

"Sasuke hit her,"

Naruto gaped. _Hit_ her?

"For _what_?" he gasped, looking at Suigetsu to see if he was just as alarmed.

"…She-" Juugo hesitated, looking at the blonde, considering him, "She said something about you,"

Naruto blinked. That was the stupidest thing he had ever heard. _Hitting_ someone over _him_?

The blonde sat down slowly, staring into the fire and Suigetsu fidgeted at his behavior. He could feel Sasuke approaching, and it only mad him angrier.

"Well, I'll just have to talk to him, won't I?"

When Sasuke finally reached the camp, he didn't say anything, making himself comfortable in some shady tree branches in the dimming sunlight.

Naruto let him sit there for a while in silence, allowing his chakra to lash out at the Uchiha to let him know he wasn't happy with him. The silence ended when Suigetsu and Juugo finally retreated to their choice of sleeping spots.

"That was really shitty of you, Sasuke," Naruo stated, walkover to the tree and staring up at the dark silhouette amongst the leaves.

"Hn,"

"I think you broke her nose. And none of us are medics,"

"I don't care,"

The Uchiha's voice was cold and clipped as it drifted down to Naruto.

"She's a part of your _team_, Sasuke! You should care!"

There was a swirling set of _Sharingan_ eyes in front of him before the blonde could even register Sasuke had moved.

"I don't have a team,"

Naruto growled.

"Are you an idiot? We _are_ your team! The team you brought together for your own personal reasons! We are here for _you_!" the blonde insisted at the stony man in front of him, "It'll do you no good to go around throwing your weight at Karin because of something so insignificant as one insensitive comment!"

Sasuke grabbed Naruto's wrist and spun them so that the shorter's back rammed into a tree. Naruto grit his teeth as his body was jarred forward, knocking his forehead against Sasuke's chest.

"And it is better to have her think she can get away with those comments?" the Uchiha inquired, voice low and dangerous. Naruto stared into the slowly rotating _tomoe_ with angry reverence.

"You're right- this is _my_ team. And you are mine-" Naruto shivered at the fierceness of this statement- "I will not allow disrespect for what I consider as my own,"

Over the years, Naruto had learned that blind stubbornness was not always the answer- that being picky with his battles was just as courageous as taking them all. This was not a battle that would be ended of he continued to plow ahead and challenge the Uchiha. The best he could do was a compromise.

"At least give her some pain relieving salve. I have some in my kit," Naruto sighed, raising his neck and lowering his eyes to show more yielding body language.

"…Hn,"

The blonde received a feathery kiss to his parted lips that had him tingling all over. The pressure on his mouth increased and he let out a small mewl- embarrassing when the others in the group were so close and, while they couldn't see him because they were on the other side of the tree, could probably hear everything.

A cool hand slipped between the folds of his yukata top, caressing the skin there with a strange amount of tenderness.

"Suigetsu told me you were sick this morning,"

_That little_-

"I'm sorry,"

Naruto could only gasp in a deep breath as a second hand strayed up his thigh, pulling his leg to rest at Sasuke's hip. The blonde squinted in the dark as Sasuke dipped down to his collar, massaging the skin with a moist tongue and leisurely pressing their lower bodies together.

"_Oh_-" Naruto breathed, a hitch in his throat, "Not here, Sasuke. The others-"

"Will mind their own business,"

Another thrust of Sasuke's hips, and Naruto was clawing at his back, a keening moan tearing from his lips. There was a passionate fire searing between them, scorching their skins to almost painful sensitivity.

"I _need_ you," Sasuke groaned in a deep, husky voice, his scarlet eyes glowing in the dark with frightfully amounts of lust.

Naruto hadn't told Sasuke about his pregnancy- what else could it be called?- nor about his chakra sucking seal, but he figured all of that could wait.

Sasuke kept their hips rocking against each other as he untied Naruto's shirt and let it fall the earthy ground at their feet. His pants were next and soon, Naruto was lifted completely off the forest floor. He wrapped his legs securely around Sasuke's waist as his bare back was pressed roughly against the tree bark.

He felt the Uchiha take hold of his stiffening member and squeeze it.

"Sas-_aah_!"

There was a light brush at his puckered entrance, still tender from the day before, as a slick finger pressed inside. And:

_When did he get lube?_

The question was never verbalized, as his prostrate was quickly reunited with the questing digit. He hummed appreciatively at the grazing Sasuke was teasing him with, causing his stomach to tighten with every touch.

Another finger joined the mix, equally slicked.

"Damn it Sasuke, just _do_ it already,"

The fingers ceased and Sasuke blinked, staring a Naruto before slowly easing himself out of his pants, as if he didn't believe the golden haired boy. With an aggravated growlm, Naruto dug his heels into the Uchiha's back.

"You asked for it,"

He entered Naruto in one quick movement that was a combination of him rolling his hips forward and pressing Naruto down to met him. Naruto gasped out a groan as his skin stretched to accommodate Sasuke's length.

He began pulling out instantly, quickly followed by an inward jerk that had Naruto loosing the strength in his lungs. Sasuke grunted with the effort of holding the blonde steady as he pushed himself a little deeper, just barely missing the spot that would have Naruto bawling for more.

Thrusting again, Naruto yelped in surprise as he felt his whole body jolt with the force of Sasuke's body. The bark cut into him painfully, adding the myriad of feelings swirling within the blonde.

Sasuke knew he struck home when Naruto's inner walls convulsed and tightened painfully around him and a pair of teeth sunk into his shoulder to muffle a pleasured scream that was let loose. He smirked as he panted, allowing Naruto that bliss again and again, with every thrust of his thick muscle.

"_Harder_," Naruto whined, fisting Sasuke's hair in one hand and gripping onto the tree with the other.

The Uchiha couldn't agree more, readjusting his grip on the blonde, before driving forward with more force.

At the height of their euphoria, Sasuke yanked Naruto down by his chin and forced their gaping mouths together, tongues entwining and teeth gnashing.

"Sasuke!" Naruto cried- his voice echoing, he barely realized with mortification- as his body went ridged and his release came spurting out on their stomachs. Sasuke bit his lip and craned his neck back as his climax made home deep in Naruto's body.

Sasuke slid to his knees, bringing a heaving Naruto with them, and they sat, foreheads pressed together as the trembled out the aftermath.

Right beside the most-likely-not sleeping members of Sasuke's team, with a furious, _beaten_ Karin not far off, Naruto slept with Sasuke for the second time in his life. And he wasn't ashamed to admit he loved it more than the first.

Later, they rested in Sasuke's tent, Naruto tracing the lines and curves of the Uchiha's face with a finger.

"How did the scouting go today?"

"Hn. We found some evidence of Akatsuki activity within the last month at the abandoned headquarters,"

"Any idea where they might be now?" Naruto asked, easing the conversation along while stroking the spot where Sasuke's scowl wrinkle usually resided. He pulled the covers over his naked chest as a breeze rolled through.

"Ah, Rock, I think,"

They fell into a comfortable silence.

"I was looking through the items you found in my Clan Residence,"

Naruto waited for the Uchiha to continue, moving from his face to his dark hair, rolling a few strands between his fingers. It was so _intimate_ that it make it hard for him to breathe.

"There was something about the council. And… Itachi,"

The blonde paused in his ministrations to listen more carefully.

"From what I gathered through a log my father kept and scrolls on their meetings at the police station, they were planning something,"

The word 'something' settled uneasily in the air around them, weighted heavily with unknown secrecy.

"I…" it was rare to hear Sasuke's voice dip with something akin to self-consciousness, making his age seemingly disappear back to the vulnerable child he once was, "I have to know everything before I get revenge. I want to speak with Itachi,"

Naruto stared in slight awe before breaking out into a grin.

_I'll go wherever you take me_.

"Okay," he whispered, and dared to kiss his on the nose.

His nose wrinkled upon the contact- and if Sasuke was aware of it, he never would have made such a face. It made Naruto laugh, which quickly turned to cries for mercy as he was smothered with a pillow. Affectionately so, he was sure.

Naruto's morning consisted of the same as the previous, though this time, he made sure to go a good distance away from the tent before spilling himself inside out.

_No more_, he thought with a rasp, _Sasuke had better be getting a boy because no more after this_.

When he returned, Suigetsu gave him a thumbs up before miming a puking scene. Naruto growled, picking up a good sized rock and throwing it the man's foot, noting that Karin was still absent. As was Sasuke.

He smiled, knowing that if he looked, the healing balm would be gone from his knapsack.

Rustling around in the food sack, Naruto withdrew a scroll for a carton of eggs and told Suigetsu to start the fire. Breakfast was on him.

After a while, when Naruto was frying eggs and bacon on a skillet- everything was accessible through summoning scrolls- Sasuke returned, a doctored Karin in tow.

Her face was red, with embarrassment, though Naruto couldn't blame her with the black eye she was sporting. Her nose was bandaged with thick white gauze and she had tissue sticking out of her nostrils. The blonde gave Suigetsu a sharp look warning him against laughing.

The red haired woman approached Naruto, head bowed, feet shuffling.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled like a rebuked child. Naruto laughed.

"It's nothing. Sasuke's the drama queen here, not me,"

The Uchiha glared at Naruto, who ignored him in favor of flipping the bacon. They all sat with each other, Karin a little hesitant at first, but soon joining the conversation with Naruto and Suigetsu.

Juugo rolled over in his sleeping bag, roused to the delightful smile of breakfast. He gazed at the sight before him.

Karin was yelling, as per usual, as Suigetsu, who had a hand-shaped imprint on his cheek, laughed and ate the food on his plate. Naruto was humming to himself over the racket Karin was making and dishing out eggs to another plate. The Uchiha was leaning back, staring openly at the blonde as he worked, a fork limp in his hand.

Juugo's face turned red with warmth as he recognized this as his family. It was a crappy one- they all argued more than they got along, and they all denied the term 'family', but Juugo knew better.

He stood, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he walked over to join them.

"Morning," Naruto greeted with a grin, handing a warm plate into his hands.

"Hey!" Suigetsu called, "It's about time you woke up. Come here- I've got a new joke about toads that Naruto told me,"

_**To Be Continued… 4598**_

**The next chapter hasn't been started or even sketched out, so it might take a few more days to spit out than this one. Sorry for the wait. Hope you enjoyed~**

**Canny**


	6. Chapter 5

_Summery: "Uzumaki Naruto has resigned from the Shinobi Ranks. His whereabouts are unknown,"- They could only bow their heads in silent resignition. "He finally went," Neji sighed, "To Sasuke," In which Naruto leaves to find his true home. SasuNaru Eventual Mpreg_

_Warnings: Mpreg and other rated M things._

_Disclaimer: Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto_

_*Edit: There is some Karin bashing in this that I've been trying to avoid, but it adds plot sooo… I'm trying to keep it mild. Hope it seems realistic._

**Chapter Five: Tea Shops**

Suigetsu watched as Naruto and Sasuke glared at each other from across the map laid out on the ground. Even if it had become apparent to him that the two were of the lovers status, they argued a lot.

"I thought I said we would cut right through the valley to get to Iwa," the Uchiha stated slowly, as if unsure Naruto was comprehending his words. The blonde's sharp blue eyes narrowed.

"And _I_ say, we stop a little farther to the east and take a three day hiatus in a hotel,"

Naruto had a point, but _damn_, had he been moody the past few days. Not that it was his fault- even if no one else knew that. He had read in the library weeks ago that in order to make enough hormones for the baby, a pregnant woman's body had to produce twice as many in order to keep up. It was then, that he wished Sakura was there to take a look for him.

Naruto knew the embryo was growing, but he didn't know to what extent. With it's more rapid growth than what was considered normal, he worried that Karin would begin to notice. Up until that point, the undeveloped baby was surviving off of the chakra and natural energy he fed it. Sure, it would look a little strange to her receptors, but not enough to comment on it. What the blonde was worried about was when the fetus started generating its _own_ chakra.

_That_ wouldn't exactly go ignored. Which meant all the more reason to get it over with and tell Sasuke.

"This is_ my_ team. We do what I say,"

The blonde bit his tongue to keep from mouthing off more than was necessary. He knew Sasuke was only anxious to get Iwa because it had been the first tip off for Itachi's whereabouts in who knew how long.

"We need rest, Sasuke. Proper, good _rest_," he urged, hoping Sasuke wouldn't get so mad that he activated his _Kekkei Genkai_, "We'll kill ourselves getting there and be useless,"

"Two days," the Uchiha finally hissed, "Only two days, then we take a straight course to Rock,"

_How do you do it?_ Suigetsu wanted to ask the blonde. Was it bravery? Balls? Stupidity? What it was that made Sasuke consider Naruto's opinions, it worked. Even if the blonde didn't end up with what he wanted, Sasuke reacted- which was more than anyone else could say.

There was a small trading town nearby that was likely to have a lodging of some sort, and once the Uchiha had route plotted out- accommodating Naruto's request-, everyone packed up and headed towards the mini-village.

**...**

With a yell, Naruto threw a pillow, the fluffy white cushion streaming across the coffee table at Sasuke's head. The Uchiha easily dodged it, shooting a glare in retaliation.

"Why are you so _stupid_?" the blonde crowed, "It's obvious it would be better to travel around a forest of poisonous plants and animals!"

"That way will take two days longer. You're a ninja, for Christ's sake. If you can't handle some flowers, you're even weaker than I thought," the Uchiha snapped back. Naruto shouted a very bad word and lurched to his feet.

"Oh no! A whole _two_ days!" he threw his hands up in exhasperation and the rest of the team groaned. At this rate, they would be arguing for another hour. If things kept escalating, the manager would have them escorted out of the inn.

"We already agreed to a straight path to Rock, moron," Sasuke hissed.

Suigetsu covered his ears with his palms and cringed. _Three, two, -_

"Don't call me a moron, you ass!"

The blonde lunged over the small tabled at the Uchiha and raised a fist ready to strike. Sasuke growled and grabbed the smaller's wrists in a grip meant to hurt. Naruto often had bruises along his arms and wrists from the Uchiha pinning him down to often. _Because they argued so often_.

"We're going _through_ the Valley of Tears* and that is final,"

Naruto seemed to rise up, as if unwilling to back down, before deflating and leaning his body into Sasuke's in surrender.

The intimacy made Suigetsu shiver and Karin glare in resentment.

They argued all the time. But they touched just as much.

**...**

"Hey, Sasuke," Naruto said, grabbing the running man's attention.

The dark haired man glanced at the blonde as they swiftly leapt over the uncomfortably thin branches. These trees weren't exactly meant for travel.

"Hn,"

"We need to take a break,"

Sasuke examined his team carefully, and indeed, Karin and Juugo were trailing behind a little farther than necessary. But they had only been moving for an hour.

"I'll decide when we stop,"

Naruto took a deep breath as he dodged a thorny vine hanging in his path. Sure they hadn't been at it for very long, but this path was a lot more treacherous than one they would usually take. The Valley of Tears, as it's name clearly stated, was no joke.

"Come on Sasuke, don't be difficult," the blonde insisted, "The others sneed to take a breather,"

Out of sheer frustration, Sasuke halted, making Suigetsu nearly collide into his back. Why did Naruto have to talk back to him? Why couldn't he just leave the decision making to him?

"How many times must I remind you that this is _my_ team, Naruto?"

He deciding not to comment on the others dropping to their knees, taking the pause as an opportunity to break.

"When you start acting like a responsible leader," Naruto snapped back, "If it's your team, why am I the one taking care of them?"

"What are you, their mother?" -and at this, Naruto's lips turned white, for he had actually stared to _show_ when his jacket came off- "You coddle them too much,"

"And you're too hard on them! You have to remember that not everyone can be as strong as you," the blonde tried to explain reasonably.

"Hey-" Suigetsu interrupted.

"Not now!" both he and Sasuke shouted.

The eeriness of their argument being so close to a real family's made the five of them stop and look at each other. It was just plain _absurd_.

Naruto was the first to laugh- quickly followed by Karin and Suigetsu.

"Oh man," the blonde chuckled, "We're fighting like a couple of married idiots!"

Sasuke just crossed his arms and snorted out his customary 'hn'.

"We're going now," he stated once Naruto had gotten his giggles under control.

**...**

"We should sleep on the _ground_!"

"I already told you, we're all spending the night in the trees. There are predators that hunt in the grounds,"

"These pathetic branches will break under all of our weight! What of one of us falls in our sleep and breaks a leg?"

"I've already reinforced the wood of the limb with chakra. Shut up, and get up here," Sasuke finally concluded.

"No way! I'm sleeping down here, where I can't break my neck,"

"Naruto, you won't _have_ a neck if a wolf gets you,"

"Are you saying I can't even protect myself from a wolf?" the blonde demanded, looking up at the Uchiha and stamping his foot into solid, reliable ground.

Sasuke's patience snapped and he jumped down and wrapped his arm around the Uzumaki-Namikaze.

"You couldn't protect yourself when I ate you," he murmured in Naruto's ear cockily. His golden cheeks flushed with crimson.

"Pervert!"

Sasuke didn't really care that he had been called a pervert- he had gotten his blonde up into the trees away from the bobcats and wolves.

**...**

Naruto and Sasuke's fights were usually trivial things that involved what they should do as a group, Suigetsu noted to himself. They had leadership issues and had a hard time finding a balance. Like a familial structure, they were battling out the amount of power that should be distributed among 'mother' and 'father'.

Sasuke would gather rabbit or fish or deer, and Naruto would send him back into the woods with a strong point of his finger in order to get him to gather some greens as well. Naruto would insist on more frequent breaks for the team, and Sasuke would respectfully ignore him.

They followed a formula- though the swordsman wasn't sure they were aware of it- and rarely deviated from it. Argue, fight, resolution; sometimes, argue, fight, angry sex, resolution.

There were days though, when Suigetsu suspected their fights held a much deeper purpose and subject.

It would begin softly- sometimes with Naruto in the lead, sometimes not- with a soft "Hey, Sasuke" or "Listen".

Followed by the subject matter, which Suigetsu always made sure he never knew. It was one thing to listen to them argue over what they were going to make for breakfast. It was another to intrude on their private matters.

Like now:

"Hey Sasuke," NAruto murmured into the Uchiha's hairline as they stood in a suspended embrace.

"I love-"

Sasuke yanked himself away, dark eyes intense as they gazed deeply into the blonde's blue ones.

"Don't," he interrupted.

Naruto raised his eyebrows in disbelief before sliding his hands down Sasuke's arms until they hung loosely at his sides.

"Don't," Naruto repeated, miffed and not understanding.

Sasuke gave a short nod.

"Don't, _what_?" the blonde demanded.

"Just…" the Uchiha fought for words, "Don't,"

Naruto opened his mouth to say something, couldn't get anything to come out, and closed his teeth with a snap. He backed away, fists clenched.

"Don't… _say_ it? _Feel_ it?" his voice, that had started as an angry whisper, rose, "Don't _tell_ you?"

Sasuke just gazed.

"_Well_-" Naruto breathed out frustratingly, "get over it,"

There was a heavy silence, and from where the two stood, they could hear Karin yelling in the distance over something ridiculous from their camp.

Naruto's patience broke-

"I love you,"

Sasuke was on him in a second, fists yanking Naruto by the collar of his new travel clothes- he had finally gotten rid of his village's ANBU uniform- and glared down at him with a furious expression. Naruto felt the waves of Sasuke's chakra crsh into him, and he gasped as its power. Had there been any hunter nin in the area, they would have swooped down on them in an instant.

"_Shut up_,"

"Why?" the blonde shouted out.

"You are just a distraction,"

With a sharp bark of laughter- scalding and mocking-, Naruto grabbed Sasuke's white fingers and pried them from his person, digging his nails deeply into his skin.

"If I remember correctly, it was _you_ who brought me here," he whispered, "You couldn't have not seen this coming,"

Granted, the blonde hadn't actually meant to start a quarrel about whether it was all right for him to love Sasuke. It had actually been his first attempt at telling Sasuke about the ever-growing _presence_ in his body. Because it was getting increasingly harder to hide it- though the fetus was more of a _swell_ than an actual bump. Any day and Karin would sense it. Naruto hadn't been feeding it as much chakra as in th beginning, meaning it would begin to generate its own soon. Extremely soon. It was wonder he had made it this far- what with Sasuke activating his _Sharingan_, a simple glance to his stomach would have him discovered.

"If you dislike it so much, you're welcome to leave,"

Naruto stared into Sasuke's eyes, trying to see straight into his soul, as hidden and twisted it may be. He _needed_ Sasuke to know. Needed Sasuke period.

"Never," he finally answered, and again, "I love you,"

Their chakras clashed, sending shock waves throughout the valley- there wouldn't be anything or anyone that wouldn't feel it.

"You love me too," the blonde dared to venture, stepping towards the Uchiha again, chin low with accusation. _You won't escape from this, Sasuke_.

"You're just running away. You brought me here, but you're scared of letting me any closer,"

His tanned hands reached up and caressed Sasuke's pale, smooth shaven cheek.

"And?" Sasuke breathed into a gentle palm, _What is it you want from me?_

"I want you to let me love you, Sasuke,"

They kissed- like they had many times before- starved for each other, as if one might disappear and not return. Sasuke's lips branded Naruto's skin with crazed passion and irritation.

"I might allow that,"

Naruto smiled, knowing he had won.

**...**

They reached the end of the Valley of Tears by noon a week later and spent the rest of the day loitering about in a small trading village that was a mile off Iwagakure.

Now that they had finally reached the hidden village- a little over a month since Naruto had left Konoha- , Sasuke was eager as ever, almost bouncing on the balls of his feet as they walked the streets, searching for a motel to pay for the next night.

"Oh yeah- how do you keep getting the money to pay on our traveling expenses?" Naruto asked, casually slipping his arm to rest at the crook of Sasuke's elbow.

The Uchiha considered Naruto before answering, dark eyes taking in the relaxed way Naruto initiated physical contact with an approving smirk to himself.

"I sell information. Being Orochimaru's apprentice had its advantages,"

Naruto scrutinized Sasuke before laughing. He could imagine the man wearing sungalsses and meeting with some shady bunch in an alleyway, exchanging the goods.

"I'm not at all surprised," was all the blonde said to answer Sasuke's raised eyebrow.

The inn they decided on was one of Karin's choice, her being tired of the men choosing cheap motels that barely supplied the bare necessities of toiletries. Unlike usual, they rented three rooms- one for the red haired woman to have all to herself, another for Juugo and Suigetsu, and a third for Naruto and Sasuke.

When they got to their respective rooms, Naruto quickly jumped into the shower, savoring the warmth of the water and the clean scent of the feminine shampoo. It reminded him oddly of the smell that engulfed him when being hugged by Tsunade, and for the first time since leaving the village, his heart strings pulled uncomfortably tight. His nose prickled with oncoming tears, but with a firm smack to each of his cheeks, he snapped himself out of it.

He stepped out of the shower and into some comfortable, loose sleep wear. He spent a long time staring at the profile of his just hardly swollen stomach. At the rate he haw going, his pregnancy would be almost exactly twice as fast as usual, so even though he was technically only a month along, the baby was two months developed.

A whole month. He wondered what all had happened in Konoha during that time. Nothing bad- on an external basis- he was sure. With Orochimaru gone and Akatsuki mostly defeated, there weren't a lot of threats left besides those few pesky criminals. Had Hinata and Kiba already gotten married? Who would Tsunade choose as her successor since he had left?- it had been obvious he would have been the next Hokage, with his Sage training and general status as 'Village Hero'. Now, it was 'Village Deserter'.

With a sigh, the blonde pulled his orange t-shirt over his head and left the bathroom. Sasuke slipped by him to take over the restroom and shut the door behind himself.

"Naruto!" he yelled indignantly after the young man heard the water turn on, "You took all the hot water!"

The blonde man laughed.

Naruto knew that when, ten minutes later, a cold, angry Sasuke stormed out of the bathroom, still dripping, and only a towel clothing his body, he was in trouble. Slowly rising from their bed, he inched towards the door in a means for escape.

The wet Uchiha saw through the sneak tactic and lunged, tackling the screaming boy into the carpeted floor.

"You're freezing!" he gasped when drops of water hit his exposed arms and face. Sasuke grabbed the blonde's tan wrists- still bruised from whatever rough play they had endured last- not that Naruto was complaining.

"And whose fault is that?"

Naruto huffed, yanking his hands free so he could steal Sasuke's towel. The Uchiha leaned closer to him, his soaked bangs making trails on the blonde's marked cheeks.

"Idiot. You'll catch a cold like this," Naruto scolded lightly, covering Sasuke's head with the fluffy fabric and massaging the water from his hair.

"Hn,"

Once his hair was no longer dripping, Naruto trailed the towel down to his neck and chest, wiping the creamy skin free of the moist droplets. They lay in silence, Sasuke hovering over Naruto while he gently patted his nude body, more relaxing than arousing.

Tired of being on the floor- and still uncomfortably chilly, Sasuke hulled Naruto and himself to the bed. It was dark in the room, since the sky had grown dark and neither of the two had bothered to switch on a light. Naruto's eyes traveled down Sasuke's exposed body with heated eyes, but allowed them to continue their innocent touching.

"When I meet with Itachi…"

The blonde sat up, deeply interested since the 'Itachi Topic' was usually taboo.

He walked across the room to Sasuke's traveling bag for a pair of sweat pants for the man and returned as the Uchiha continued.

"My revenge is all I've been living for," he murmured while pulling the pants over his chilled skin, "I don't think I change the part of me that's trained to kill him for all of these years,"

Naruto nodded in understanding.

"But the information I found suggests the massacre was planned, so I don't feel complete with just killing Itachi anymore,"

"Talk to him,"

"You think after keeping it a secret so long he'll tell me now? If there is something more, it's obvious he doesn't want me to know,"

Naruto could see that as well. From the reports on Uchiha Itachi, he could gather that the man was a peaceful one- passive and noble. Perhaps the complete opposite of who Naruto was now. While the blonde had thrown caution to the wind and gone for the one thing he wanted in leaving Konoha, if what they were piecing together was true, Itachi sacrificed himself in eternal silence and duty.

"I know he is here in Iwa," Sasuke stated, eyes closed, as if taking hold of his brother's presence, "He is waiting for me to find him,"

_For a final battle._

"But it doesn't have to be for the purpose of revenge," Naruto finally spoke, "Surprise him with questions and information. Make him realize you've changed,"

Sasuke's black eyes opened to gaze long at the pretty blonde in front of him.

"But I haven't changed. I still wish to kill him,"

Blonde brows furrowed.

"I don't understand," he admitted and Sasuke nodded.

"Of course,"

Naruto knew the Uchiha wasn't being stubborn or malicious as he said it. It was just the truth- the two boys, while having both lost their parents, lost them in different ways and were left with different scars and quirks because of it. Naruto understood the pain, but he could never understand the reasoning.

"You have to find out the truth," Naruto commanded softly, "Your brother deserves it. So after you- after your revenge, we'll have an honest memory of him for once,"

Sasuke drew the blonde close to him, soaking up his warmth, seeking comfort or companionship.

"I love you," Naruto whispered, one arm wrapping around Sasuke's waist and the other resting over his growing stomach. Sasuke's embrace tightened.

"Dobe,"

**...**

Naruto woke up alone, though he wasn't surprised in the least. Somehow during the night he had ended up under the sheets, and he pulled them back while stretching his back in a great arch. His stomach gave a tiny flip. Glancing down at it thoughtfully, he decided. Today would be the day he told Sasuke.

Whistling a wordless tune to himself, the blonde got up and dressed for the day, glad he had decided to purchase an outfit a size too large. He frowned when the word fat drifted through his mind, reminding him of Ino's obsessive need to be in a perpetual state of dieting.

Naruto's frown deepened as he began to resent the memory, but stopped himself. It would be good to learn to appreciate the memories he had in the village instead of mourning over the loss. It would make his life tons easier.

He exited the room and the inn- four star, as Karin had demanded- and stepped into the bustling morning streets of the tiny village. Sasuke had said he could sense Itachi's presence, and Naruto thought if he tried hard enough, he would be able to as well.

First, Naruto needed to get some breakfast. His Uchiha had left him an amount of money to spend for the day on the bedside table that he now had in his toad wallet.

Sure, he had matured as a person, but there were some things that never died- like the wallet and his ramen complex.

Looking up and down the streets for a good place to have a meal, Naruto chose a quiet looking tea shop. There were only a few customers: a young woman with a sleeping baby, a passed out old man at the booth, and a hunched figure sipping tea.

Naruto stared at the back of the final person carefully, sensing something familiar. Going with the gut feeling he was getting, the blonde calmly walked over to the table and sat across from the man. He didn't look up.

"It is a surprise seeing you here, Naruto-kun,"

_Sharingan_ eyes peeked through the shadows of a canopy of black bangs.

"I would say the same to you, but we are actually here looking for you," Naruto said with a nod of agreement. Itachi inclined his chin, revealing his regal features- prominent cheekbones, down-turning lips.

"I am even more surprised that you are expecting," the eldest Uchiha stated, dipping his hand to gesture towards Naruto's body. The blonde smiled.

"That seal is quite impressive,"

"Thank you. It took me a long time to construct it,"

A waitress approached the table, and Naruto ordered a cup of orange juice and a plate of cranberry waffles.

"Sasuke is looking for you to talk,"

A dark eyebrow raised, and Naruto looked away so he wouldn't laugh at the similarities between the two brothers.

"I found some suspicious information in the Uchiha estate- forgive me for intruding, but I would do it again, anyways," the blonde began reading well to Itachi's curiosity, "It lead me to believe there were some other things going on behind the massacre so I informed Sasuke,"

Itachi sat silently, and Naruto began to take note of the differences between the Uchihas. He took the information in stride, taking another sip of steaming tea.

"I do not want Sasuke's image of our family soiled," he stated after a long silence.

It revealed a lot of things. One: the massacre was planned. Two: the Uchiha clan was attempting to over-throw the council- or something along those lines. Three: Itachi intended for it to remain a secret. Four: Itachi planned everything from the beginning so that he would be killed by Sasuke's hand.

The Uchiha coughed into a napkin and Naruto silently observed the red dotting on the paper when he pulled it away from his lips.

"Where shall I lead him to meet you?" Naruto asked, resigning to the fact that Itachi would say no more on the topic.

Itachi rose, turning his back on the blonde.

"There is an abandoned town north of here. I'll be waiting,"

Naruto leaned back in his chair just as the waitress brought him his food.

"And Naruto-kun-"

The blonde looked up expectantly at the Uchiha.

"I'm leaving Sasuke in your hands,"

The words resonated within Naruto's being as he munched on the waffles, mind blank and unable to grasp onto a real thought. He put his fork down, along with some change, and exited the tea shop. It was time to go subtly point Sasuke in the right direction.

Naruto found him storming out of a pawn shop, a blazing expression on his face. So that was where the Uchiha went to get information. It made sense; pawn shops were universally known for their sketchy dealings.

Naruto walked up beside him, trying to look excited.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, grabbing the man's attention.

"Naruto- I found out Itachi isn't here anymore, but he came through a few days ago. We need to leave-"

"I just found out at a tea shop that Itachi went north,"

Sasuke took this in before giving a curt nod. His eyes were burning with intensity- though Naruto was unsure which emotion it was that he was feeling.

"Let's go," he stated simply, and the blonde followed him up onto the roof tops.

"What about the others?"

Sasuke seemed to consider his words before sighing.

"We can come back for them,"

Sasuke grabbed Naruto's wrist, tugging him along faster and faster, reminding Naruto of when he had spent a whole day running to the Great Naruto Bridge in search of the Uchiha. He wondered if what he felt then- a kind of desperation- was what Sasuke was feeling now. Naruto looked up at the Uchiha as shingled roofs passed beneath their feet and thought, _Yes_.

They left the town and the rest of their team behind them and followed the dirt path north to where Naruto knew a ghost town resided.

Sasuke's _Sharingan_ activated as he looked around, trying to scope out for which direction he should go, but Naruto just kept pushing him forward.

After a few minutes of a break-neck speed Sasukew halted.

"There's an empty village ahead," he stated. His body visibly tensed, "I can see him. Naruto-"

His eyes turned to Naruto before the blonde could stray the man's attention. Sasuke fell silent as he gazed blankly at Naruto's stomach, _Sharingan_ eyes twinkling as if mocking Naruto for his carelessness.

"What…" the Uchiha was at a loss for words.

"I'm pregnant," Naruto stated calmly, though his heart was thundering.

Sasuke seemed to forget about Itachi, forgot that the world was still spinning, forgot that Karin and Juugo and Suigetsu were wondering where they were. He just stared and stared, taking in the tight bundle of warm chakra pulsating from Naruto's body.

_**To Be Continued… 4506**_

**Because it wouldn't be a story without a strategically placed cliff hanger.**


	7. Chapter 6

**Summery: "Uzumaki Naruto has resigned from the Shinobi Ranks. His whereabouts are unknown,"- They could only bow their heads in silent resignition. "He finally went," Neji sighed, "To Sasuke," In which Naruto leaves to find his true home. SasuNaru Eventual Mpreg**

**Warnings: Mpreg and other rated M things.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto**

*****There was a question concerning the last chapter:**

**The use of the word 'Thon' is actually one of the choices to combine the 'he or she' phrase. Instead of saying 'he or she', you can simply say 'thon'… Though no one uses it because it isn't a part of the official English language because scholars can't agree on whether or not it should be taught. Isn't that silly?**

**Also, The Valley of Tears is not a real place in Naru-ography.**

**Chapter Six: Uchiha Itachi**

Naruto's eyes were closed against reality, taking to listening to the chirping birds and rustling leaves that surrounded the worn path he was standing on. The crunching of gravel underneath a foot made him open his clenched eyelids, though against his own better judgment.

Sasuke hadn't stopped staring at his stomach, his all-seeing eyes gazing heavily as he advanced. The space between them shrunk, and Naruto fought not to take a step backwards. _If I will it hard enough, I will disappear._

So he closed his eyes hard and tried to make himself dissolve into the air.

The blonde felt his body go ridged as a pale hand reached through the space between them- making it vanish completely- and grasped his vest. Swirling _Sharingan_ eyes bore into Naruto's cerulean, finally meeting his gaze. The Uchiha didn't look away as he slowly unzipped the front of Naruto's traveler's vest.

"It's mine," were the first words spoken since Naruto's declaration of 'I'm pregnant'. And really, there was no declaration greater or more surprising than that, so Sasuke must have been taking comfort in there being nothing left to throw at him.

"It is,"

His stomach was revealed to the open air and Sasuke pushed the fabric to the sides of Naruto's body so he could look properly at it. His hands hesitantly reached to touch the entwining seals, noticing the small swell of the blonde's stomach.

When Naruto watched Sasuke slowly drop to his knees in front of him to rest his lips against his stretching skin, the whole world seemed to lift from the blonde.

"_How_?" the man asked, resting his cool forehead against the warmth of Naruto's stomach.

"When a man wants something badly enough, he will find a way to achieve it," Naruto answered as vaguely as he could, voice breathless as Sasuke's eyelashes batted over his flesh.

Trembling arms wound around the blonde's back, holding him so delicately, just barely feathering over his body. Naruto looked down at Sasuke, confused when a strange noise escaped the man, and oh, God- _he was crying_. The Uchiha's lips were moving- to real words or gibberish, Naruto would never know- against his stomach while silent tears rolled down his suddenly tired looking face, leaving a trail of moistness down each cheek. He mouthed a thousand words, as if repeating a mantra, or maybe even lyrics to a song from inside him.

Naruto allowed himself to fall to his knees, so he could hug Sasuke to the warmth of his body- to the warmth of his womb of energy.

The Uchiha shook in Naruto's grasp, his pale hands gripping tightly to Naruto's hair and waist as if making sure he was really there. The blonde petted his dark hair soothingly, patiently waiting for Sasuke to calm down. He couldn't blame him- for the first time since the massacre, Sasuke had a family to look forward to. It was no longer just Uchiha Sasuke, no longer Sasuke with Naruto trailing behind. He was _them_; a unit; Naruto, this baby, himself.

"I love you," Naruto whispered into Sasuke's neck, blindly wiping the man's flowing tears with his fingers. He said it over and over, a mantra of his own- a thousand 'love's and 'you's falling past his tongue.

When the Uchiha's shoulders ceased in their shaking, Naruto was pushed away abruptly. The body in his arms all but disappeared as he stumbled back onto his ass and Sasuke leapt up onto a tree, his back facing the blonde.

"Return to the others, Naruto,"

The blonde stared up at him uncertainly.

"What?"

"Go back and wait for me there, "he said again, voice flitting over the trees and grass and finally landing at Naruto's feet. Naruto's eyebrows creased in concern. Did Sasuke not approve of his predicament?

The Uchiha didn't wait for any confirmation, vanishing from his high place and sprinting in, what Naruto assumed, was the direction of Uchiha Itachi.

He thought of Itachi, and his worry doubled. Would Sasuke get any ansers from the elder Uchiha? Would be provoked to anger that he achieved his revenge after all? What if he had read Itachi wrong, and the man really _was_ a criminal? All of those questions and doubts lashed into the blonde's mind, and he made no effort to keep them at bay.

Naruto didn't take his time getting back to the little town so similar to all the others he had stayed in within the past two months. He honestly just wanted to get back to his and Sasuke's hotel room- to crawl into the bed and try to catch traces of the Uchiha's scent in the blankets. He glanced down at his stomach with a crooked smile, knowing that Karin would definitely be able to sense the fetus. He had his suspicions, catching her staring and all, that she had already. But there was no ignoring it now.

Juugo greeted him in the front of the hotel with a wave and a smile that reminded the blonde creepily of Sai.

"Where is Sasuke?" he asked, offering Naruto a chocolate from his bag of newly bought sweets. Apparently, Juugo had a bit of a sweet-tooth. The blonde took the offered candy.

"Oh, he's off conquering the world or something equally dramatic and ridiculous," Naruto replied, rolling his eyes as the two made their way through the first floor to get to the stairs.

Juugo snorted.

Their rooms were on the second floor of the building, and Naruto was grateful for not having to climb a million flights of stairs- he may be a competent shinobi, but he still hadn't recovered from the extreme amounts of chakra lost to the baby inside of him, and probably wouldn't until it was born. Naruto had never been so encumbered in his life: chakra was his main source of strength since all of his techniques required so much of it. And thanks to the _Kyuubi_, it was all possible.

Karin was coming out of her room when Juugo and Naruto reached their rooms' hallway, looking fresh and relaxed. Someone had obviously slept in this morning. As the two drew closer, the red haired woman tensed, her body slowly rotating to face them. She hadn't put on her glasses yet- the first time the blonde had ever seen her without them- but she didn't appear to really need them.

"_You_…" Karin hissed, eyes locking with Naruto's.

Naruto braced himself, expecting the storm he had expected with Sasuke… Though, the man hadn't actually addressed the issue, and the blonde still wondered what he was thinking.

The Uchiha had cried.

Was he so moved by the thought of actually having a family again it had pushed him to tears.

"Who do you think you are?" she shouted at him, jerking the man back to the situation at hand, "You think you're so great, don't you?"

"-Coming along with us and trying to turn us into some trophy family! You think you're special because Sasuke pays attention to you!" Karin continued and at that point, Suigetsu came out of his and Juugo's room to inspect, "So what if you're carrying some freak of nature around in that body? No one here likes you! You're holding us back and getting in our way! You don't _belong_ here-"

Suigetsu moved behind the woman with a soft 'hey' and put a hand on her shoulder, but she jerked away and stepped closer to the blonde. Naruto felt her raw anger- jealousy, he was sure- crash into his veins like life, burning up the pumping vessels until they threatened to turn to ash. He tried not to clench his fists. Fighting back would only feed the fire.

"I should do as all a favor and kill you. But now-" her voice dropped low so that only Naruto was meant to hear- "Now I know the only reason he's keeping you around is because you're letting him fuck you,"

Naruto started at the ferocity in her words, feeling frustrated and tired, but let her continue anyways. After all, if Karin didn't get it all out now, they would never be able to move on. If he knew any better, he would say she was in love with the Uchiha. But even so, he couldn't pity her or empathize.

"I should have known!" she said with a laugh, "I mean, of course Sasuke has needs- he _is_ a man-"

"Karin…" Suigetsu warned.

"No; let her finish," Naruto assured him; assured himself.

"And he wanted to carry on his clan," the red head obliged, "So you're just his whore, right? You don't ever do anything around here, and I've never seen any special role you perform- it makes sense that Sasuke asked you to come along to behis bed warmer. You must be a really great lay to have lasted so long. What happens after your little freak baby is born? You think you're going to become Mrs. Uchiha and live happily ever after?"

She stopped there, catching her breath, and a heavy silence filled the hallway. Naruto was glad no one else had come down the hall during Karin's venting. It was around dinner time, so most of the guests were probably out.

"Well?" Karin finally demanded after the blonde continued to look at her blankly.

He crossed his arms.

"Well, what? I have nothing to say. I don't owe you any explanations, nor do I feel the need to gain your good favor,"

"You're-!" she cut herself off, floundering for what Naruto assumed was going to be something vicious- though seeming to give up- "Augh!"

Karin threw her arms up in uncontained exasperation and stomped back into her room, slamming the door for good measure. Naruto relaxed, the woman's words still ricocheting around in his brain.

"Hey Suigetsu, can you go make sure she doesn't break anything? We are paying for the rooms, after all," the blonde requested. The swordsman wordlessly complied, allowing himself access to Karin's room without knocking.

"Do you have any money on you?" Naruto asked Joogu, "We're going to need to pay for another night here,"

The male dug around in his pockets before representing a fair amount of currency to the blonde. He nodded gratefully and asked if he would mind taking care of it.

"Sure,"

Naruto watched Juugo disappear down the hall and to the flight of stairs before returning to his own room. The windows were bleeding orange with the sunset as he crossed over to draw the curtains. He turned to stare at the darkened room. Its emptiness seemed to reflect the blonde himself as he became a shell, filling to the top with Karin's accusations and conclusions. Of course, most of them couldn't possibly be true:

Sasuke had had no idea about him being able to conceive. As for why he still kept him around- well, that didn't really matter to Naruto so long as Sasuke was willing to accept him.

And would he? Would Sasuke still be willing to tote the blonde around with a new package on the way?

Naruto lay himself down on the bed, face up, completely relaxing into its softness. His hands automatically found themselves holding onto his stomach. Naruto mulled over Karin's words.

_Happily ever after, huh? _He asked himself with a small snort. It was his last thought before falling into a restless sleep.

He awoke to the sound of someone in his room, and had he not had Sasuke's chakra signature literally branded into his body, he would have been on alert. Rolling over, Naruto peaked his eyes open to the pitch black bedroom, trying to catch Sasuke's shadow.

"You're back," the younger greeted, staring into the glowing _Sharingan_ eyes above him.

The weight of another's body pressed onto the bed. Naruto felt tense in the silence.

"Did you…?"

"No," the Uchiha answered sharply, "We… we talked,"

Naruto sat up and reached for the lamp on the bedside table, eager to see the emotions flitting across Sasuke's face.

"You only talked?"

Sasuke almost seemed embarrassed and Naruto saw him turn into a child for the second time that day.

"There may have been a few actions affiliating with violence in the beginning," Sasuke replied, albeit hesitantly, a small tick appearing near his eyebrow.

The blonde bit the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling, but the feeling vanished when he caught the Uchiha staring intently at his belly, red eyes still activated.

"What did you say?" the blonde pressed.

"I asked him for his true motives,"

Naruto raised his eyebrows: _And…?_

"He said if I knew he was lying, then I already knew what happened and why,"

"Typical-" the blonde chuckled, "All Uchihas are terrible with communication. So, what did you decide? You know Itachi was probably ordered by the Council and Hokage to commit the crime. And it was most likely due to a planned uprising by the Uchiha Clan. Does this mean your goal has changed?"

The Uchiha's mouth opened but no sound came out. It took another minute of that mouth flapping- opening, then changing its mind, then opening again-

"I don't know. My whole life has been anchored to my revenge. It feels like my dogma is slipping away, and I Have nothing to live for," he looked up, so helplessly that Naruto abandoned his earlier doubts and reached forward to cup his pale cheeks, "What am I supposed to do? What do I live for?"

"You idiot," the blonde scolded lightheartedly, "That's what _I'm_ here for. Do whatever you want to do; you're free,"

_Sort of_, Naruto wanted to add, glancing at the growth in his stomach.

"We're going to meet again," Sasuke continued, "Itachi is preparing an old Akatsuki stakeout site for us to stay. It has he necessary supplies for comfortable, everyday living. It is a place we can stay until I can decide on a course of action,"

Taking a deep breath, Naruto figured now was as good a time as any to ask- talking about the future and all.

"What about, ah…. The baby?"

Naruto looked up with large blue eyes, worry reflecting through, and Sasuke took the face of his lover's in. He deactivated his _Kekkei Genkai_ and slowly slid his shirt off. Gently, the Uchiha pushed Naruto onto the bed and settled beside him. The faced each other, lying on their sides. With a steady hand, Sasuke held Naruto's, and _smiled_.

It was then that Naruto felt what it was like to be truly, _wholly_ loved.

**...**

Sasuke hadn't been lying when he said comfortable living. He had called a stakeout, but really it was an old Japanese styled summer house deep in the lush forests, not far off from Konoha. It was sealed- a hidden hideaway- and only those with a teleport scroll that connected with one on the inside could enter and exit at his or her leisure. It was spacious, housing as many as four bedrooms with a small bathhouse jointed on the side.

If this was the way Akatsuki lived, Naruto had a new envy.

"He said he comes here to rejuvenate," Sasuke stated, passing them- Juugo, Karin, Suigetsu, and Naruto- each the partner to the teleportation scroll.

So their days of relaxation and routine began.

It felt nice to not be on the run all the time, and have a place that they could stay in long enough to mark it with their presence. Now, it really felt like they were playing house.

When Sasuke wasn't on the roof with Itachi- which happened a shockingly frequent amount- Naruto always found a way to distract the man and get him to sit on the back porch with him and just watch the trees grow. During those moments, he entire world melted away and the only thing that was left was Sasuke's hand rubbing circles on his lower back and Sasuke's red eyes flickering over his bulging stomach.

"We're going to stay here until the child is born," he told the blonde, comfortably lying his head in Naruto's lap as if he'd done a million times before, "And preferably for the newborn months after that,"

Naruto smiled in thanks.

"I've been meaning to ask," the Uchiha started- he had become surprisingly talkative ever since he had begun to reach out to Itachi- "How are you going to give birth?"

The blonde couldn't help but chortle at the question; it was a good one.

"Unlike a woman's, my body is not equipped to go into labor naturally, so I will have to start it myself. The seal is what is maintaining the fetus's womb, so when I release the seal, it will gradually dissolve- ergo, starting the birth process. Once that is done, I'll have to actually cut to the baby- not that bad, since the womb is right under the hypodermis,"

"Karin will have to help me-" even though she had yet to talk to the blonde at all since her last fit in the hotel hallway, "But I think she can be convinced,"

Sasuke stared up at him blankly.

"I'm impressed,"

"You think I'd actually walk into this without scouring my brain with all the information I could get my hands on?" Naruto asked good naturedly

"It just reminds me that you're not much of a dobe anymore,"

They looked at each other, Naruto still sporting a smile.

"You're still a teme,"

Though, with his transformation, Sasuke really wasn't all that cynical anymore. It was so out of character that Naruto was left baffled.

**...**

"Come to the bathhouse with me," Naruto requested one night.

Suigetsu sputtered.

"What?" he asked, face red. Naruto raised his eyebrows at him.

"I wasn't talking to you," the blonde stated with a snort, pointing beyond the swordsman at the young Uchiha stepping through the door, a confused look in the slant of his mouth.

"Oh,"

**...**

"Juugo, you're burning the eggs!" Karin shouted at the boy.

He jumped out of his daze and a hint of pink flushed over his ears and nose.

Naruto laughed along with Karin, and a bit of the hostility seemed to ebb away.

"Practice makes perfect," the blonde muttered to the embarrassed male.

**...**

"Woah, you're really pregnant," Suigetsu gaped at Naruto's bare stomach.

The blonde rolled his eyes, toweling the water from his golden hair and securing the black sweats around his waist by their draw strings.

"I mean, when Karin said it back then- about the baby- it was different. But you're really getting fat,"

Naruto's lip curled.

"You are walking a fine line," he warned him.

"How long has it been? You can't be that big. It's unreal," the swordsman continued, holding his arms out to measure the male's roundness, squinting slightly and tilting his head to side, "You're going to be _huge_ when it's all grown,"

The blonde grabbed Suigetsu by the ear and smacked his forehead into the nearest wall- the one he was leaning against consequently. Karin tried to cover up her laugh with a series of coughs.

**...**

Itachi would come over, and the two Uchiha would disappear for hours to go sit on the thatched roof. Sometimes they could hear the two actually yelling at each other. There had even been a few holes burned through the ceiling. But sometimes, maybe once or twice ever, they would hear laughter. Crying laughter that hurt the ears and at the same time, blessed them.

Itachi never came into the house if he could help it, always staying only as close as on the porch or front steps. It took a whole week and a half to finally get him inside- and even that wasn't planned. He and Sasuke had been discussing whatever they discuss when alone one morning after Juugo had prepared breakfast- the kid was actually a great cook.

Then Naruto had screamed. And the two Uchihas jumped into action before even thinking that Naruto was a sually loud person anyways- that he could be freaking out over a spider or a dirty footprint in the carpet (which had happened before- honestly, his pregnancy was turning him into such a _woman_).

The blonde was standing, hunched over, shoulders shaking, in the kitchen with a mortified looking Suigetsu frozen at the sink, staring at him in bewilderment. It only took a minute to realize the idiot was _laughing_. His blonde head whipped up when he noticed Sasuke and Itachi's presence, and his grin widened.

"Come here," he said, voice thick with something unidentifiable.

Sasuke approached easily, watching analytically as a tan hand snatched his. Slowly, Naruto stood up straight and brought their enjoined hands to the side of his stomach, now larger than before. Sasuke was about to questiong the blonde when he felt a sudden, transient bump against his palm.

"It's kicking,"

The youngest Uchiha felt the jerk again and stared in open wonder. Naruto beckoned Suigetsu and Itachi over, who came a bit uncertainly. The blonde made them all feel, even seeking Juugo and Karin out.

"This is the most important lesson to all human beings. _Life_ is everything," he told them.

And it quickly came to their attention that Itachi was on a limited amount. After that first time, he entered the house much easier, even joining them for lunch sometimes, though never saying anything. He coughed often, and had to lie down to let his body catch up. Sometimes, his red eyes would dull into a fading, glazed grey. He was going blind.

**...**

"So, if we're a family," Suigetsu began as the dinner table, "Sasuke's obviously the abusive father,"

The mentioned Uchiha looked up from his plate, a curious expression coming over him.

"Naruto is totally the hormonal housewife,"

Said blonde glared at Suigetsu.

"Karin is the obnoxious little sister,"

Karin growled.

"Juugo is the masculine looking brother who has a weakness for cute things and cooking,"

The orange haired male only shrugged.

"Itachi is the crazy uncle-"

A shuriken imbedded itself in between Suigetsu's fingers on the table. He paled considerably, nervously glancing at the hunched, dark figure sitting the corner.

Naruto 'hmm'ed, noting that Itachi's aim was still brilliant even with him going blind. As if reading his thoughts-

"I missed," Itachi's deep voice mused, teasingly.

There was a long silence as Suigetsu gathered his wits to continue.

"And _I _am the awesome eldest son-"

"Wrong," Juugo stated seriously, "You're the pet goldfish,"

Suigetsu looked horrified as he tried to cover his fishy appearance with his hands.

"You're so mean!" he cried over everyone's mirthful chuckles.

**...**

"If I were not so short on time, I would not bother to tell you this-" Itachi stated, taking a slow sip of his tea, "Akatsuki has just undergone a civil war due to split loyalties. As it is, the group has divided. Are you familiar with the name Uchiha Madara?"

Naruto was. How could he not when he and Sasuke fought exactly where Madara and the First had?

"Madara was the one who aided me in wiping out the Uchiha Clan,"

Naruto was shocked. Wasn't he supposed to have died?

"He returned to village around that time to try to start an uprising of the clan again, and I happened to catch him. Currently, he is attempting to take control of the Bijuu in order to destroy Konoha and rebuild the village he has always desired," Itachi paused to let the information settle, "He was originally acting as Tobi, and commanding the leader of Akatsuki, Pein, in the shadows. However, Pein disagrees with Madara's ideals- wanting to use the demons' strengths to create a super-weapon that he'll use to keep fear-inspired peace throughout the shinobi world,"

"And the Akatsuki has split?"

Itachi nodded, gazing foggily at the small table they were seated at. Naruto frowned, not liking the sound of an unstable force like Akatsuki. They were a powerhouse- no good would come from them warring amongst themselves.

"Thankfully, none of the stored chakras of the tailed beasts can be accessed without the necessary amount of people, so we're at a standstill at the moment,"

"What do you want us to do?" Naruto asked, leaning forward expectantly.

Sasuke scowled.

"You're not doing anything,"

Naruto ignored him, choosing instead to consider the options.

"Obviously, the immediate threat is Madara planning to abolish Konoha. I say we join this coming war and defend the village,"

"No," Sasuke stated, "That village had my family killed,"

Naruto opened his mouth to protest., but Itachi beat him to it.

"Foolish," he accused, "The village is innocent. It was Danzo and the Council who issued me the order. And I am still at blame for following through. Don't be so quick to defend a disgraceful clan. They were planning to start another war, you know,"

Sasuke crossed his arms, frustrated at having been scolded by his brother.

"Do you think you can get the Akatsuki who support Pein to help us?" Naruto asked, patting Sasuke's arm comfortingly.

Itachi nodded, and they sat in silence.

"So, what is the first step?"

A ghost of a smile appeared on Itachi's face.

"You join Akasuki, of course. We'll just have to remember that they are still after the Jinchuuriki. I doubt that they would attack him not, but never let your guard down. Trusting one of us will be the last thing you ever do,"

Naruto shivered and nodded in understanding.

**...**

There was a pop as Suigetsu and Juugo returned to the hidden house from the store, a jar of mayonnaise and a jug of orange juice in a bag. He tossed the paper bag to Naruto.

"Here mommy," he sneered, "Your latest freak-crave,"

Juugo laughed when a cup of juice splashed in Suigetsu's face.

"Why do these things keep happening?" he wailed.

"You bring it on yourself,"

_**To Be Continued…4441**_


	8. Chapter 7

**Summery: "Uzumaki Naruto has resigned from the Shinobi Ranks. His whereabouts are unknown,"- They could only bow their heads in silent resignation. "He finally went," Neji sighed, "To Sasuke," In which Naruto leaves to find his true home. SasuNaru Eventual Mpreg**

**Warnings: Mpreg and other rated M things.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto**

**Chapter Seven: Warfare**

Naruto was seriously angry. And Karin could tell. He only hoped the rest of their little entourage could feel it too. Though probably not, since they had all _left_.

It was one thing to be concerned. It was one thing to want to keep Naruto and the baby safe and protected. It was another thing to leave without him when going to discuss important matters with Pein and the other Akatsuki members still supporting him.

"Sasuke just left me!" he crowed, sending a lamp sailing across the living room to crash at Karin's feet. She winced, opened her mouth.

"You should be used to it by now,"

Naruto whirled on her, glared- then:

"Oh shit, don't _cry_," she whined, rushing forward and awkwardly patting the boy's back as he sniffled through his tears.

"I _know_," he moaned, "He'll never change,"

"Probably not," the woman muttered, glancing off to the side uncomfortably, "He's just not a very smart man,"

Naruto looked up at her hopefully as she continued with her complaint.

"I mean, leaving _me_ with you- just what is his deal?"

The blonde's eyes steeled as he pulled himself away from Karin, quietly apologizing for his moment of weakness. It was true; what _had_ the Uchiha been thinking? How were he and Karin supposed to spend the day locked up in this house alone until dinner?

"Let's go out," the blonde stated, "When was the last time you got to go luxury shopping? Women enjoy that sort of thing usually, right?"

Naruto remembered the many Saturdays he had spent with Sakura and Ino in the shopping district of the village, walking for hours and listening to their meaningless gossip.

Karin seemed to turn red, pushing her glasses up to hide her eyes.

"Actually, uh… that doesn't sound bad,"

With a nod, Naruto looked down at his six month developed stomach- though it had only technically been three- and frowned. No way was he going into public like that. Sure, he was beyond pride, but how much attention would a pregnant man get? Too much.

He performed a _Henge_, changing himself back to his non-pregnant body and hugged his thinness, making Karin roll her eyes. They cleaned the stash of money under the floor panels in the kitchen. Sasuke would throw a fit later for technically stealing, but as far as Naruto was concerned, the bastard deserved it. Plus, it was only a minor technicality.

"Let's go,"

**...**

The town was one Naruto had been in before. It was the place he had stayed with Jiraiya at the beginning of their journey and had first met Itachi and Kisame- the small village a few miles from Konoha. It wasn't too busy, but Naruto was pleased with the happiness that seemed to hang over the people.

Karin and Naruto hit the weapons shop first. It was a little shabby, since the town only functioned with ninja from Konoha and had none of their own, but Naruto liked its simple class. They examined oddly shaped kunai, poison tipped senbon, and creepy looking puppets with curiosity.

When they grew uninterested with the shop's limited merchandise, the two followed the flow of shops on the street, deciding to go down one side, catch a quick lunch, then come back up on the other side. The next store was a dress parlor, in which Karin dragged him into in a hastened manner.

"I haven't put on a dress since I was a little girl!" she said in a rushed voice. Immediately, her fingers hit the dresses hanging up on racks, hands feeling the fabrics. Naruto took in all of them, their bright colors and flashy designs making him smile.

"We should get you some," he told her with a smile.

A store clerk approached them with a bright grin, ready to serve.

"Can I help you find anything?"

Karin shook her head, already pulling a soft blue dress off of its hanger. Naruto let his eyes roam for something he thought would suit the young woman.

"What's your favorite color?" he asked, eyeing a pale lilac gown that made him think of Hinata.

"Christmas green, but I know that's suicide. I mean- can you imagine my hair with a velvet green dress?"

They both laughed.

"You know, my mother had red hair to, but it wasn't quite as bright like yours,"

Karin looked at him, a little surprised at the personal information, as she put another dress on the crook of her arm.

"I never would have guessed. You must look a lot like your father,"

Naruto nodded with a soft upward turn to his mouth.

"I'll have to show you a picture someday. To be honest, I'm kind of hoping the baby will get some of my mom's genes, but the Uchiha traits are so dominant, I doubt it,"

Karin nodded thoughtfully, agreeing.

"You should go try those on," Naruto prompted.

They went to the back of the store where the dressing rooms were and Karin went in. The first dress was too small for Karin- which Narutuo dared to tease her about. Finally, she walked out in a light green summer dress that was a bit late in the turning-autumn season, but looked wonderful none the less.

Naruto convinced her to buy it, knowing she was only pretending to protest- it was a female characteristic that he found familiar, having spent so much time with them.

The next store they entered was a shoe shop. Karin paraded around in her new dress, knowing she would be embarrassed for her behavior later, but unwilling to ruin the moment with thoughts of 'later'. Naruto allowed her cheerfulness, even provoked it, spoiling her with compliments. Maybe it was to get in her good books to make traveling with her easier. Maybe he was just a good person.

The red haired woman eventually picked out a pair of white flats with a bow at the toes' end. She paid for them and turned to the blonde, a bright smile on her face.

"I feel so girly," she giggled.

Naruto nodded, sporting a smile of his own.

"That's all right sometimes. You _are_ a girl,"

On their way out, Karin grabbed Naruto's wrist to get his attention. He paused at the door and she gestured to her left, indicating to a shelf of tiny children's shoes. The blonde's face felt hot as Karin steered him to the wall of infant sandals.

She grabbed a pair of yellow sandals, plastic flowers lining the straps.

"I hope it's a girl so I can take her shopping. I've seen your fashion sense-" Karin looked up and down at Naruto's light blue haori* jacket and black shinobi pants tied off with bandage wrap at his calves- "And it's not so bad, but between you and Sasuke, you're going to need some help,"

Naruto laughed.

"What if it's a boy?" he asked, picking up a little wooden geta*, trying to envision a little body attached to it.

"You'll need even more help,"

They stood in silence, examining the small shoes and socks.

"Have you thought of a name?"

The blonde put the shoe down, scratching at the back of his head sheepishly.

"Not at all!"

Still chuckling to each other, the two left the shop. It was around lunch time then and Naruto's stomach was making a lot of raucous. They stopped at a branch restaurant of Ichiraku- the first time Naruto had eaten ramen since leaving Konoha all those months ago.

"This stuff is so salty and fattening!" Karin complained, pinching at her sides between bites. Naruto grinned.

"A long time ago, I used to live off of ramen. It is the food of _God_," he insisted, "I would eat Miso for lunch and Pork for dinner. Sometimes, I would even convince Sasuke to pay,"

Karin put her chopsticks down, a frown on her moist lips.

"You've known Sasuke for a long time?"

The blonde nodded, muttering a 'since we were really young' around a mouth full of noodles.

"Have you and Sasuke always been… uh-"

"No way. He was such an ass hole- still is really- that I couldn't stand him. It's just because fate's sense of humor that I fell in love with him, you know?"

Naruto laughed at himself, at his unrefined style of speech, thinking it must be the ramen making him act like he was fifteen again. Karin looked at him for a long time before turning back to her own soggy bowl of ramen.

"Love?" she asked quietly, and Naruto wasn't sure if she was asking him or herself, so he decided to not say anything at all, letting her be swept up in her thoughts like he let her be swept up in her mirth.

"Are you finished? We still have the other side of the street to walk," the blonde male asked, standing and holding his arm out to the girl graciously, bowing and raising his eyebrows in a silly way. She rolled her eyes but took his hand anyways, as if they were a lovebird couple. And Naruto supposed they could pretend to be- he was for once, a man with a pretty girl on his arm that didn't consider him a brother or best friend. It felt a little stifling, but the façade was too fun to be botched.

"I still don't like you," Karin muttered, making Naruto look down at her and laugh.

"Of course,"

"You laugh too much,"

"It's a disposition,"

"It's _annoying_. Why are you so happy all the time?"

The blonde laughed again, only frustrating the female more.

"Sorry-" he insisted, smothering his smile with a hand, "I just am. It's not usually a bad thing-"

His shoulder bumped into another, making him skip a step and almost stumble to the ground. Reflexively, Naruto locked his necks and gripped onto Karin to steady himself.

"I'm sorry. Are you all right…"

His voice died.

In front of him, there was a pair of women. One was obviously pregnant, with dark, purple tinted hair tied in a braid and wide lilac colored eyes. The second was blonde- lighter than his- with stormy blue eyes.

"_Naruto_?" the blonde woman hissed, pulling herself from the ground.

The blonde bit his lip, glancing nervously around.

"Hello Ino. Hinata," the greeting came out choked and sharpened. He was thankful for the _Henge _he was currently using.

"You-" Ino started, her fists clenched, looking very much like Karin had when she was about to yell at him, "Just who the hell do you think you are?"

A few people on the sidewalk stopped to look at her.

"You just… you _left_! Without a goodbye or a note or a _reason_!"

"Everyone knows the reason," Narto interrupted before he could stop himself.

"Oh- you mean to go after Sasuke? He's not even worth it!" the blonde woman continued, "Do you know that you've abandoned your village? Forsaken it for a _criminal_? Run off on a fairy tale dream to be Sasuke's wife?"

Naruto wanted to tell her that not but a few years ago, she had the same fairy tale dream.

"How dare you show your face around here! You have no shame-"

"Shut up,"

Naruto looked to Karin, surprised.

"You obviously don't know anything about Naruto and Sasuke, so just shut up. What he does is none of your business. Now if you don't mind, we're kind of on a time limit,"

Karin grabbed Naruto's wrist like she had done in the shoe shop earlier that day and leapt up onto the roof tops. They left the town as a blur.

"And we didn't even get to finish shopping," Karin crowed when they reached the hidden shelter. Sasuke and the others had already returned._ We're in trouble._

The Uchiha was waiting for them in kitchen when they teleported through the barrier using the scroll, and Karin nervously tugged at the edge of her new dress a bit guiltily.

"You went out," the Uchiha stated blandly.

Naruto nodded, tossing the unspent money on the table.

"Yes. And I was seen," -Sasuke raised an eyebrow- "By Ino and Hinata. They must have been out getting things for her kid, and we ran into them after lunch,"

"You came straight here?" he asked with a sigh. Naruto nodded.

"Well, that changes things,"

Naruto finally became aware of the other occupants in the room. There was a blonde man- he knew him to be Deidara- and a cloaked woman sitting in the living room drinking coffee.

"This is Konan and Deidara of the Akatsuki. They're here to become familiar with us,"

Naruto nodded his hello and Deidara squinted at him.

"Aren't you a _Jinchuuriki_? War sure does mix things up, yeah?"

"Here-" Sasuke handed Naruto and Karin dark cloaks "Your new uniform,"

Naruto wordlessly slung the cloak on, releasing his _Henge_.

"We'll have to leave here tonight and meet Itachi half way," Sasuke informed them- no doubt because of Naruto running into old friends. If they decided to look for them, it wouldn't really take much to discover the hidden house, "Will Pein mind if we take refuge in Amegakure?"

Deidara shrugged his shoulders.

"It'll just make things easier, I would say. Yeah, he won't care,"

"Tell Juugo and Suigetsu to gather their things," Sasuke ordered with a nod.

An hour later, the house's occupants were standing among the tree branches high above the ground, watching the flames of the house rise.

"Is it a good idea to let it burn like this? If anyone's looking for us, they'll see the smoke," Suigetsu noted, adjusting the strap of his pack.

"It doesn't matter now," Sasuke answered, turning his back on the growing furnace.

**...**

Amegakure, the Village Hidden in the Rain, was not what Naruto expected. Having not known anything about it to begin with, the blonde had thought it would be a dreary place with a constant overcast and light drizzle of rain. From the short amount of time he had seen it- he hadn't had very long- the blonde could see the strain of the civil war taking its toll on the people.

Entering the Rain country had been trickier than he had thought- there were strict passport and border laws due to past wars held between other surrounding countries. As well as disputes breaking out between civilians, from split supporters of Madara and Pein, there was a heavily enforced curfew in the village.

But it was obvious Pein was a good leader.

Ame was an industrious city, and because of that, pollution was a bigger problem there than in most places. Since Pein had come to power, even if it wasn't by any legal means, he had been changing the way things ran- shortening factory hours to lessen smog and converting fuel-run machines and appliances to electricity conducted through water. The cleaner air and greener grass seemed to put the people at ease.

Despite the war wariness, they were somewhat content.

The first time Naruto had met Pein was a week after staying in his tower. He was an intimidating man, with a shock of orange hair and an even more shocking amount of facial piercings. Naruto imagined they would get heavy after a while.

"Madara is currently in hiding-" the pierced man informed them as they took their seats at a long, rectangular table- his acting conference room-, "I can only assume he is attempting to gather the required amount of members to take control of the sealed Tailed Beats, but he is nothing without these,"

Pein gestured to the ring on on his finger, implying all the rings not in Madara's possession. He looked the group all in the eyes, taking his tome to gaze at every person. Konan respectfully bowed her head, and Itachi closed his eyes.

Naruto felt his body tense under the scrutiny, thinking he would never be able to relax in the man's presence. Sasuke defiantly jutted his chin higher.

"We need to draw Madara out," Pein told them, "Because I doubt we will have the means to run into him and take him out,"

"First," Naruto interrupted, after gathering his guts labeled with bravery, "Konoha needs to be aware of the threat. It will do us no good to try to defend them when they don't know they're being defended,"

Itachi nodded: "I'll write a letter up then,"

"I'll deliver it. It will be more authentic if it is sent in person, especially someone from the Akatsuki," Konan spoke up.

"As for drawing Madara out, I think we need to use Sasuke," Suigetsu added, further slouching in his seat as everyone perked up at the idea, "No one knows he and Itachi have put their differences aside at the moment. We can trick Madara into thinking Sasuke still wants revenge-"

"And repeat the whole Orochimaru thing," Naruto caught on, "Sasuke wants Madara's power and Madara needs people,"

"I can supply him with rings as well," the younger Uchiha said, "We can make duplicates, let him think I have gained Deidara's and Konan's. It will add trust and give us a chance to learn more about him faster,"

Naruto felt his mind spinning with the newly formulating plan.

"It draws him out and gets us on the inside. But how do we strike?"

They fell silent in their thoughts.

"There are only two _Jinchuuriki_ left, yeah?" Deidara asked, "The Hachibi and Kyuubi. In order to extract them, the host has to be taken to the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, where all of the members in possession of a ring will gather. Well- if little blondie can contact the Hachibi and earn his trust through camaraderie, he can allow himself to be captured. Once Madara and all of his group have gathered, we can ambush them,"

"But how many rings does he have?" Juugo asked, "If we know that, it will give us a time limit,"

"That is something Sasuke will have to find out," Pein stated, fingertips pushed together in a steeple, "You, Karin, Juugo, and Suigetsu will go as a group to meet Madara,"

Naruto frowned, leaning forward unhappily.

"And I just get to stay here?" he complained incredulously.

"Or what? Deliver you into the hands of our enemy? You are the last thing Madara needs to get a hold of. At the moment, we have an advantage because no one in the world knows where you are right now," Itachi countered, "Besides, you're not exactly in the traveling state to begin with. You've got maybe another month left until it's time for your seal to give out,"

The blonde narrowed his eyes distastefully, knowing the _Sharingan_ user was right. No one said anything. Upon his arrival, everyone had politely ignored his pregnancy for the more pressing matters at hand- to which he was eternally thankful.

"First, we send a letter to Konoha. Then Naruto gets in touch with the Hachiba's host," Pein summed up, "Once we get there, we'll discuss what comes next,"

Konan stood, with a soft 'I'll prepare to leave now,'

Pein's _Kage*_ tower was steal, reminding Naruto of Orochimaru's compound he had visited almost a year ago. He could hardly believe in only a few months, he had gone from standing outside the snake _Sannin_'s door in Oto to standing inside Pein's in Ame.

_Pregnant, too_, he thought with a dry laugh.

Within an hour, Itachi had a message written up, addressed to the Hokage, informing her of Madara's recent movement and plans, as well as a request for reinforcements- signed in a flourish of calligraphic letters '_Akatsuki_'.

Within the same hour, Konan was crossing the border of Ame and the Fire Country.

**...**

No one really saw it coming: Konan's death.

They hadn't heard anything from her or Madara since her departure, but the paper flower that would usually be found in the woman's blue hair delivered to Pein's door was an unmistakable message. That, along with Konoha's rejection of their affiliation.

Naruto sat heavily in a chair in Pein's conference room, feet throbbing, back aching. What would they do now?

Sasuke had been quick to accuse the Council for Konan's death; Deidara, just as swiftly, disagreed-

"Only one of Madara's would have the means to deliver Konan's flower to our door step. Konoha is not so quick to raise a fist like that, yeah?"

A fine point.

It proved a daunting fact: Madara had one more ring that they didn't, the village wasn't on the same page, and Pein's morale was deeply wounded. He told them Konan had been his friend since they were young.

"I'm going to Konoha," Naruto stated firmly, arms crossed over his bulbous belly. Karin sighed out a 'here we go again' as Sasuke stood from his place at the table. His eyes flashed red as he leered at the blonde angrily.

"You will not,"

"_Some_one has to prove that this isn't a hoax!" the _Jinchuuriki_ insisted, standing as well- not a very impressive figure, mind.

"I like the idea," Pein stated- the first thing he had said since finding out the news about Konan and Konoha.

"That village is probably the least safe place in the world, and you're going to send him there?" the youngest Uchiha snapped, "In case you've all forgotten, Konoha is what Madara plans to blow up,"

"And I'm possibly the only one who can get Tsunade to listen," Naruto tried to persuade him. Sasuke fell silent.

"I'm going with you,"

"_You_ have to go to Madara," Itachi reminded, holding a napkin over his lips- a habitual act by now, as he coughed often- "Deidara can accompany Naruto to Konoha,"

"That's cool," the artist hummed, blowing a bit of hair from his face.

There was a knock at the door before a man in a brown mask with 'no face' written on it in Kanji made his entrance, a scroll presented in one hand.

"A message for Uzumaki Naruto,"

Pein made a gesture towards the mentioned blonde and the man delivered it accordingly, making a swift exit. Naruto saw the Kumogakure- the Villge Hidden in the Clouds- and eagerly tore the scroll's sealing.

_Naruto,_

_I sympathize with your village and your situation. I have spoken with my brother, the Raikage, and you will receive further contact from me. Mail me more information on when you would like to hatch the Hachibi Plan. I will be ready._

_Sincerely,_

_Killer Bee_

Naruto was pleased and shared the news with the others.

"This means I can leave for Konoha as early as tomorrow," the blonde sighed with relief, though he hadn't actually given going back any thought; just that it needed to be done.

Sasuke scowled, leaving his chair behind to make his exit. He threw a look over his shoulder, briefly making eye contact with Naruto. _Come, _the look told him. So he did.

They walked in silence to their guest room, a room furnished with only the most modicum of furnishings. When the door shut behind the two, Naruto was attacked- a tricky thing to do around his stomach, but the Uchiha was astute in the ways of pleasing Naruto. A hot mouth pressed in the hollow of Naruto's neck, making him shiver.

"If you leave me-" Sasuke growled, "If you leave my side, I will destroy that village myself. You will come back to me,"

The blonde nodded, almost cheeky enough to roll his eyes; the teeth latching onto his bottom lip convinced him otherwise.

Naruto stretched his back, arching his bare back up to the dark ceiling above his head, throwing his sheets aside and onto a sleeping Uchiha. After wiping himself- and his partner- clean, he glanced around at the barely lived-in room, only taking five minutes to pack up his things. They hadn't really _un_packed to begin with. It was still dark outside- maybe only midnight, and in the morning he would be leaving the secretive walls of Ame for better known territory.

Konoha: The place he grew up, the home of the people he had trained and bonded with, the place that had tormented him because of the demon inside of him; the place he had learned to love, and be loved in return. The place of the past, inevitably. And frankly, the blonde wasn't all that excited to reacquaint himself with the powerful shinobi- powerful _friends_- he had left running high and dry.

Did he feel guilty? No. Even after Ino's judgment call- shriek, really-, Naruto couldn't bring himself to regret anything. He looked down at his now covered stomach with unconcealed wonder. No _way_ did he feel sorry for this. Leaf could suck his dick if they didn't like it.

Speaking of, his pregnancy would be a little messy explaining. _Best not to, then,_ he decided, a playful smile crawling through his lips. After all, Karin had spoken truly: Naruto didn't owe them anything.

"Dobe," a husky, sleep-filled voice grumbled. Naruto huffed out a laugh.

"Yeah, yeah," he mumbled as he slithered back under the covers to plant a sloppy kiss on a drowsily slanted eyelid, telling him for the hundredth time, "You're so needy,"

And for a hundred _more_ times, Sasuke replied with a 'hn'.

The morning came with a sense of duty seared into it. With a dilatory pace that etched into his bones, Naruto forced himself out of his Uchiha's clingy, hot _cuddle_, only wishing to return to it. He showered, brushed his teeth, to a redundant beat called morning preparations, a grumpy Sasuke trailing not far behind.

Itachi and Deidara were waiting for them when they finally left the confines of their room.

"You may leave at any point today," Itachi informed Naruto, casually, brushing a strand of dark bangs from his face. The blonde gasped at the tell-tale haze in the Uchiha's eyes.

"Itachi, you… You're-"

"Please," he interjected, holding an open palm up, "It has long been coming. Luckily, I still have use of my _Mangekyou_,"

Sasuke seemed at a loss for words, having been reminded that the ageless person he had been chasing for half of his life was indeed mortal. It seemed bizarre to him, that the iconic figure of Uchiha Itachi was still in the end just as human as the next. Despite all of his infamy, the man was still susceptible to death and decay- the glaze over his now sightless eyes only testifying.

"Sasuke, your group will be ready in a few hours. Don't worry about finding Madara. Stay around the very outside of Ame's border and he will find you," the eldest of the two Uchiha advised.

"Well, blondie, I'm ready when you are," Deidara announced.

Naruto nodded and turned to Sasuke.

"Don't worry," he said it in an undertone meant for privacy, even though the other two could most likely still hear, "I broke my ties with Konoha. They cannot bind me any further,"

The Uchiha shrugged, playing nonchalance. The intense glow of his eyes gave him away.

"So, Itachi," Deidara called, "Guess you won't be _seeing_ us off, yeah?"

Naruto and the two Uchiha stared at him blankly as his snorts died off awkwardly. He coughed, and tugged at his cloak as if he had a nervous tick.

"Too soon?" the artist inquired with a frown of disappointment.

A hand came to rest on Naruto's shoulder and he smiled up at Sasuke expectantly, but the Uchiha was staring intently at Deidara.

"I'm worried," he stated bluntly.

Naruto laughed, kissing the Uchiha's cheek before he could pull away, and waved.

"Hey Sasuke-" the blonde yelled extra loudly as he began to walk away, and the Uchiha felt his face heat up in warning, "I love you!"

The sound of Itachi's sharp, unnatural _laughing_ was all Sasuke could hear for the next twenty minutes.

_**To Be Continued…4783**_

_Haori_*= traditional Japanese jacket; images/definition can be found through google

_Geta_*= the Japanese name for the wooden sandals with the short stilts on the bottoms (worn by Jiraiya, actually)

_Kage_*= Amegakure, from my research, actually doesn't have a Kage position; the leadership role is generally untitled, so for the sake of making things easier, I am calling Pein the 'Kage' of Village Hidden in the Rain

_**I apologize for the insane amount of footnotes.…**_

_**Not my finest chapter, I know. It's choppy, but I'm running on low steam here trying to wrap this bitch up. Thank you for all of the wonderful feedback. I'm obsessively stalking my hotmail for new reviews. Your opinions and compliments mean a lot to me.**_

_**Canny**_


	9. Chapter 8

Summery: "Uzumaki Naruto has resigned from the Shinobi Ranks. His whereabouts are unknown,"- They could only bow their heads in silent resignation. "He finally went," Neji sighed, "To Sasuke," In which Naruto leaves to find his true home. SasuNaru Eventual Mpreg

Warnings: Mpreg and other rated M things.

Disclaimer: Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto

**Chapter Eight: The Akatsuki Alliance**

As an official outsider, Naruto found it exceedingly unsettling at how easy it had been to infiltrate Konoha. He had thought that the ANBU in charge of patrolling the gates and border of the village would have changed their runs by then. Slipping by in the right place at the right time- with a trailing Deidara- was all it had really taken; like breathing- thoughtless, reflexive.

The blonde imagined their route to the Hokaga tower, able to see himself casually strolling the streets with an Akatsuki robe covering him. How much chaos would be born of it? Well, how much if it had been day light?

With a resolute sigh, Naruto lead Deidara through a discreet, hidden path to the Hokage tower, one that the ANBU would usually take. Conveniently, the dark sky and moonless night shadowed them from sight, and even more conveniently, the Akatsuki cloak concealed the majority of the blonde's bulk. The extra weight, now almost as heavy as it would ever get, slowed him down, hampering his deft mobility, but at a steady pace and with Deidara's help, they somehow managed to reach the tower undetected.

Poor Tsunade was sound asleep at her desk, the lamp still on, and a bottle of booze in her hand. Had the woman not always behaved like that, Naruto would have thought it had been a rough night. Though, when your job is being the Hokage, every night is a rough one.

"We should wake her up, yeah?" Deidara asked in a hushed voice. Naruto shook his head.

"Let's wait,"

The two blondes took a seat in one of the chairs in the Hokage office, settling in for a long night. Naruto even dozed off a little.

The sun was beginning to rise and shine over the peak of the Kage Mountain, and maybe it was the new brightness- maybe it was the chakra pressure in the room- that caused Tsunade to stir, the bottle slipping out of her grip to crash onto the floor. Deidara caught it easily, placing it back on the table, and Tsunade took a moment to register why there had been no 'crash'.

Her golden eyes sharpened as they glanced around- for a weapon? She found the two intruders and stared.

"_Naruto_?" she slurred, still hazed from drowsiness and a hangover.

The blonde man smiled and waved at her through her fogged vision, then-

"Is that an _Akatsuki_ cloak?"

"Please," Deidara warned, "Keep your voice down. We don't want anyone coming up here, yeah?"

Hokage mode seemed to visibly slide over the woman's face as she sat up, back straight.

"What is going on?" she demanded, voice low pitched with authority.

Naruto stood, keeping the black and red robe snug around his frame as if he was cold, and went to her desk.

"There is a war brewing, and you need our help,"

Tsunade raised an eyebrow and the ex-ninja of Konoha began to tell her all about Madara and his plan for the village. A cup of tea and thirty minutes worth of information later, Tsunade was up to full speed on Akatsukis activity. He explained Killer Bee and Sasuke's important tasks playing out and the crucial moment of attack.

"We need your combined forces- Pein has already received a letter of consent from Suna, so we're only waiting on you now,"

"I can't decide this on my own," Tsunade insisted seriously, "This has to be run by with the Council and it could take weeks to get results-"

"We don't have weeks. I need an answer so we can _move_," Naruto urged, "To put it frankly, Tsunade, fuck the Council,"

The woman looked at him, lips pressed into a thin line.

"You spend all of your life preaching about being the next Hokage-" the woman breathed out, "Come back from a week long trip in Suna a completely different man, turn your back on Konoha for a passionate romance, and return half a year later telling me you've joined a group of high-class criminals,"

Naruto swallowed.

"I'll admit it's a bit far-fetched," he replied thickly.

"And now you're trying to convince me to 'fuck the Council' and join ranks with you lot?"

Deidara grinned cheekily.

"I'm glad we're all on the same page,"

Naruto nodded in agreement.

"I suppose I can't just ignore this," Tsunade finally lamented, "We rejected the letter from that woman- Konan, I believe- because it was just so _absurd_- but this…" she fought for the right words, "This is ridiculous,"

"But completely true, Tsunade," Naruto insisted urgently, the woman's name on his tongue forcing her to recognize the weight of his words, "We need your help just as much as you need ours,"

The blonde woman gazed into the young man's intense blue eyes, before casting a sideways glance to the wall.

"I need time to think. I can't…" she trailed off, helplessly throwing her hands up.

"We'll be back tomorrow evening," Naruto conceded, beckoning to Deidara that it was time to leave.

Tsunade watched them exit through the window, surprised at herself that she had just let them go like that.

"Isn't this just cozy?" Deidara teased as they carefully stepped through the Uchiha household, leaving dusty tracks on the wooden floorboards. Naruto silently thanked himself for taking down the family pictures and other personal décor. He had a feeling Sasuke and Itachi would not be pleased if Deidara came back with an arsenal of embarrassing Uchiha family photos.

The house was stripped mostly bare, as no one had bothered cleaning up since the massacre, bar the bodies themselves. The only person that Naruto guessed had been in there was he himself, before he had left it and the village behind. Signs of his rummaging were gone by then, covered in a thick layer of dust.

But the empty home would do for a hideout while they stayed in Konoha. No one would be coming by making house calls and the main house was so far in the Uchiha district that signs of their life would be unseen.

"Don't tell Itachi and Sasuke that we stayed in their house, all right? I'd rather them not know,"

Deidara nodded, flopping down on a tatami mat, a cloud of dust pillowing up into his face causing him to sneeze several times.

Naruto rummaged around in the kitchen, pleased that cups were still lying around and the water still ran through to the sink. He poured Deidara and himself a glass and sat across from the clay user at the table.

"You sure seem familiar with this place,"

Despite his efforts- and his general ability to not feel embarrassed about anything- Naruto felt his face turn hot at having been caught.

"Nothing wrong with visiting every once in a while," he muttered into his water before taking a sip.

His fellow blonde snickered, but didn't press the subject.

He wondered how long they would have to stay there, living in a house of death, and frowned. Tsunade had predictably refused to accept joining the Akatsuki without support from the Council first, but the old wretches would never agree, and she and Naruto both knew that. To continue however, would be technically committing treason. It was up to Tsunade what to do. No more convincing was left. Konoha was in the hands of fate now.

To pass the time, Naruto slept in Sasuke's old bedroom- leaving Deidara to amuse himself-, remembering he had done the same thing months ago. He had come such a long way since then, like a completely different person. Had anyone changed as much as he had since he had been gone? He absently rubbed a hand along the large swell of his stomach, feeling a jerk or flutter every once in a while.

Did Kakashi still have an insufferable personality and show up hours late to every prescheduled appointment? Did Sai still make those horrible penis jokes? Did Sakura still have monstrous strength that had every male within a three mile radius bowing to her every whim? Did they all hate Naruto now?

The blonde shook his head as if to dispel his thoughts. It was no use thinking about those kinds of things. If he could help it, no one would ever know he had stepped foot in Konoha in the first place.

"Which is why I would like to remain unknown to everyone except yourself," Naruto told Tsunade seventeen hours later in her office, "Deidara and I will use you to relay any information to your choice of persons, minus the Council of course, while we stay here,"

Tsunade nodded deftly, running her finger along a cup of sake thoughtfully.

"I'll inform the ninja I wish to dispatch today of what's going on. The Council… will just have to take a backseat,"

Naruto smiled and extended his hand to shake the woman's.

"I'm glad we've come to an agreement,"

Tsunade studied the extended hand before taking it, holding Naruto there. She examined his polite smile, his black and red Akatsuki cloak, the abnormal stance and bulky shape of his abdomen. The blonde seemed to notice the _Sannin_'s scrutiny and pursed his mouth.

"Don't think too much about it," he commanded, Tsunade unsure if he was speaking of her decision or her thoughts on his appearance.

"Put your efforts into thinking of a good cover story for why Konoha needs to prepare for a possible exodus, and finding someone to look over the village while you're away," Deidara supplemented easily, a small grin twitching on his lips as if he found something funny.

"We'll need to we sure that there are food and water rations stored in the evacuation routes as well," Naruto added with a nod.

The Hokage glanced between the duo carefully.

"I would like to leave Konoha in your hands, Naruto,"

The youngest of the three blondes stared dispassionately, almost despairingly, at Tsunade as her intentions sunk in. He started with a slow, deliberate shake of his head followed by a steady stream of 'no-no-no'.

"I can't. I won't. I have other places to be,"

"Like where?" Tsunade barked, genuinely frustrated, "I'm trying to put your dreams into reality and you're being difficult,"

Naruto ran a fidgety hand through his blonde tresses- now uncomfortably long; he would need a haircut soon- and leaned his weight onto one laboring leg.

"I've already done that myself,"

Tsunade glared: "You can't honestly-"

"Drop it," Naruto gritted out, "You'll have to ask someone else,"

She did, and ended up asking Shizune to cover for her.

Tsunade summoned her choice army after dinner, while Naruto found himself a good mask. He and Deidara occupied a corner of her office as faces very familiar to Naruto filed into the room. Sakura and Ino were the first to arrive, quickly followed by Sai, Neji, Lee, and TenTen. Gai made his usual loud, dramatic entrance through the window, and Shino seemed to dissolve into the room like smoke. A few minutes later, Shizune and Yamado entered, speaking quietly to each other, a silent Chöji trailing behind.

They stood, chatting easily with each other or standing quietly, waiting for their Hokage to give them an order. Some of them noticed him and Deidara, but seeing as the two weren't really hiding, they all ignored them.

Twenty minutes later, Kakashi and Shikamaru moseyed through the door, and Naruto thought, _None of them have changed_, with a small smile of fondness hidden away by his thick geisha mask. It made for a funny look- his hunched form, in order to hide his stomach, underneath the heavy hooded cloak and dainty female mask. Like a fat, old woman with a ridiculously pretty face. Though in all reality, his real appearance was even funnier. A fat, pregnant man with a ridiculously girly face.

Tsunade put down the scroll she had been reading and addressed the group of ninja in the room.

"We are under a very dangerous threat," she announced.

Everyone seemed to still, eyes glancing seriously among each other, and looking suspiciously to the two huddled figures behind them.

"It has come to my attention through some unlikely means that a very powerful ninja wishes to abolish Konoha and its residents. It is because of this that we will be joining forces with Suna and the Akatsuki-"

There was a collective gasp, a few hisses of '_what_' and other confused exclamations. The slug princess held her hand up to silence them.

"Yes, I know. All will be explained in due time. At the moment, I need all of you to ready yourselves to leave. We will be meeting them in their home, in Ame,"

"Tsunade-sama, with all due respect," Neji stated over everyone, "Are you sure this isn't a deceptive act in order to take us down?"

Sakura, along with a few others, nodded in agreement.

"I have already thought of that, Neji. But you see, my information comes from a very reliable source…"

The woman trailed off, her eyes raising to fall on Naruto's concealed figure as if debating on whether or not to reveal his identity. It would gain her subordinates' trust more quickly, but the boy had asked to be anonymous.

Kakashi glanced over his shoulder, following Tsunade's gaze, to find the two Akatsuki members. Deidara smiled at him pleasantly, as if they hadn't ever fought before. But that was the nature of politics versus the battlefield. At any moment, your enemy could turn out to be your greatest ally. _However_, the copy-nin thought to himself, taking in Deidara's unknown companion- a new member perhaps-, _they are still criminals_. He could only hope Tsunade knew what she was doing.

"Prepare for departure. I do not know how long we will be in Amegakure, so pack accordingly,"

Naruto took in their tense postures, their serious expressions, through narrowed eyes. He caught Kakashi and Sai looking back at him and raised his masked head in acknowledgment. Sai's eyes narrowed and an odd smile melted onto his face. His black eyes glittered with secrets. As if he knew.

"Do not tell anyone of this mission. Meet back here tomorrow morning at nine. Dismissed,"

They dispersed like a flock of startled, though dutiful, birds.

"It will not be possible for me to leave without the Council noticing or wondering why," Tsunade said after a long while.

Naruto and Deidara shared a look, as if sharing thoughts. Time for that matter to be placed in hands not bound by law.

…

After receiving a letter from Pein instructing Deidara and Naruto to bring Konoha's forces to Ame's border as soon as possible, that Sasuke had indeed been taken in by Madera (or, rather, Madara had been taken in by Sasuke), Tsunade gave the word and they headed off. Naruto and Deidara made it a point to drop by the Council member's private quarters. Their servants would find them knocked out cold and trapped in an unexplainable coma.

It was a lot slower going back to Ame than it was leaving, as they were burdened with a larger group. They traveled apart from each other, split up halfway so that it wouldn't actually look like an army was mobilizing. Sure, Konoha would be empty of its key ninja, but that happened occasionally anyway.

Naruto pulled his hood tighter around his neck and head, being sure his blonde bangs were securely pinned back by the mask. Deidara gave him a thumbs up, as if reading his concerns.

Sakura watched them warily from her perch on a tree root and Naruto was reminded of the night he had left them all behind.

"Your friend doesn't talk much," she announced from across their camp to Deidara. The blonde bomber shrugged.

"He's shy,"

Naruto rolled his eyes from the cover of the layer of porcelain.

"I guess," the pink haired kunoichi muttered. Kakashi, too studied what they didn't know as Naruto. It was a good thing Sai had split off with the other group or the blonde would have been in trouble.

Sakura moved from her spot to hesitantly sit next to the mass that was her hidden ex-teammate. Naruto gritted his teeth and looked up to the sky, blaming whatever higher power listening for the woman's persistence.

Needless to say, the trip was going to be a long one.

Sakura's intuition to get closer to the mysterious Akatsuki member- for whatever reason that could be- made Naruto a case of nasty migraines. Whenever he moved, she was right there, and it was starting to get obvious.

He would shoot Tsunade a glare, accusingly, wondering if she had snitched, but the woman would simply shrug her shoulders. _Tough titty said the kitty_, in other words.

Naruto would go to gather firewood, in hopes of having some time to think, maybe even write a letter to Sasuke- though the chances of him actually sending it were zero to zero- and there Sakura was, offering some help.

She chattered to him- more like _at_ him- aimlessly about anything and everything, and Naruto began to realize she was desperate. Desperate to make a friend of an enemy that seemed familiar so that some scrap of normalcy would return to her otherwise backwards life. She longed for stability and hoped to create it by penetrating an Akatsuki member's defense. And in doing so, uncover some secrets. Like his identity.

He was sure, that if they really wanted to know, really _tried_, Neji or Kakashi could use his _Kekkei Gankai_ or they could get a feel of his chakra. But the blonde figured that Sakura saw that as cheating and wanted to figure it all out by herself to make the results more fulfilling. Naruto wanted to warn her that truth would only hallow her out.

"I know you listen to me," she told Naruto one day, gazing deeply into the geisha mask and taking a bite out of an apple, "There's something about you that tells me you're paying attention. I'm amazed really- since all I talk about is boring stuff!"

It wasn't boring at all. Naruto didn't resent Sakura or her company. He resented that bond that was forming, because he had no intention of nurturing it, of letting it last. He hadn't asked Sasuke what they planned to do once all of this was over, but he knew for a fact that they wouldn't be returning to Konoha.

Letting Sakura close again would only mean breaking her heart twice.

"Welcome to Amegakure," Pein stated, dramatically sweeping an arm out to gesture to the mass of steal buildings laid out around them. Ino let out a sigh of awe at the sight, almost stopping in the street just to take it all in. Ame really was a magnificent, impressive city. Sakura squinted up at the sky, taking not of the smoky fog hovering above the buildings ominously.

"Deidara and his partner will lead you all to where you will be staying, as well as go over a few precautionary rules," the Akatsuki leader carried on, motioning for the group to gather around him so they could all hear, "I'm afraid there will be no time for a proper tour, as I'm sure you're all tired and need to rest for the busy weeks ahead-"

Naruto shifted, detaching himself from the crowd of Konoha ninja and moving to retreat. Pein saw him and narrowed his eyes, and the blonde stopped with a sigh of resignation.

"Please, make yourself at home and enjoy your stay,"

With that, the carrot top man spun on his heels and strode quickly in the direction of his fortress. The group fell into a silence before Deidara stepped up, taking the lead.

"Follow me-" he stated simply, "You'll all be staying in an apartment building a part of a district undergoing construction, so no one lives there yet. It's quite and we've provided food for you for the next few days,"

He lead them through the empty roads- it was past curfew- Naruto hobbling beside him, refusing to admit that a simple walk had him panting. But _damn_ if this kid wasn't heavy. The roads were paved with large, dark cobblestones that were eroded into smoothness from the many feet that had crossed them, that turned jaded as Deidara headed towards the more uninhibited portion of the village.

There was turned over dirt and trees along the perimeters of the buildings, and eventually, the two cloaked members halted in front of a large, three story building. It held more rooms than there were people, and seemed to be a little more extravagant than necessary, but Tsunade nodded in approval. It would do finely.

"Now, we prefer that you keep as little contact with the people here as possible, as they have no idea that anything is going on. If you must go out for any reason, please keep in mind that you should avoid being seen," Deidara babbled, though he said everything seriously, "If you have to, take off your village insignias and other identifying features. Pein will send a summon when we have a meeting planned. Otherwise, the apartment building has many themes in which to occupy your time,"

"Are there training grounds?" Kakashi asked, glancing around the ghost area.

"There is a field hidden in the trees just behind the complex," Deidara answered, then added, a bit jokingly, "Try not to be too obvious though. No big jutsu to impress the ladies,"

When no one laughed Deidara frowned, again, disappointed that no one took to his sense of humor.

"What's the point of being the comic relief of no one thinks I'm funny?" he complained under his breath as the Konoha force and the Suna forces combined filed into the apartments.

Naruto rolled his eyes and grabbed Deidara by an ear.

"Come on," he finally spoke, sighing, "This parasite of a baby is killing me,"

"I don't like this," Sakura was the first to say it when they reached the inside of the apartment building- a well-furnished place with deep green wallpaper and soft lights.

Tsunade sighed.

"What were you thinking, bringing us to a place like this? We're practically prisoners here! Konoha is defenseless and the Akatsuki ca do whatever the hell they please now!" the young woman continued, "How did you get the Council to approve of this? How do you even know this Madara guy even exists?"

"You don't understand!" Tsunade hissed fiercely, causing everyone to turn their attention to her, "You have _no_ idea what's going on right now. Naruto-"

The Hokage froze, shoulders tensed, fists clenched, and snapped her teeth together with a dull _click_ that echoed in the silent room.

"Naruto," Ino stated plainly.

"Naruto, _what_?" Sakura shrilled.

Sai, tired of seeing the poor girl grope for something out of her reach, took a step towards her and grabbed her shoulder in an unforgiving fist.

"Let it go,"

"He's right," Neji agreed, "Naruto is far beyond us now. Fate has plans for him-"

"Fuck your fate," Sakura snapped, whirling on the Hyuuga and pointing a finger to his chest, voicing picking up in pitch, "You're only saying that because none of you have the balls to go after him!"

"Actually," Shikamaru drawled, "We've given up because we knew he's where he wants to be,"

"Speak for yourself," Gaara muttered, uttering the first words he had spoken since meeting up with the Konoha villagers.

"Well, I suggest you all get over it," Tsunade intervened, "Naruto isn't coming back. Even if he were standing right in front of us, he will never come back,"

"It's kind of romantic," Lee sighed, a whimsical gleam in his eyes, "Running away with your beloved,"

"He didn't run away _with_ Sasuke-" Sai corrected, "In fact, do we even know if the Uchiha accepted Dickless?"

There was an unsettling silence and Sai smiled a wide, faux grin that made a few look away uncomfortably. He waved casually and left them in the front entrance to find a room to stay in.

"I'm sure…" Sakura whispered. There was just no other way things could have gone. Then again, Sasuke had always been a loose canon. What if he had killed Naruto and all this time, everyone had thought he was out there somewhere. What if he was out there somewhere? Decaying?

_Aren't I?_

…

The second time Konoha and Suna spoke with Pein was in his conference room. Deidara and what they were unaware of as Naruto had woken them all up in the middle of the night to take them to Pein's _Kage_ tower. He had gained new information on the situation.

"I have heard from Sasuke," the Akatsuki leader stated as everyone took their seats at the large table. They had to pull extras up so everyone could sit down, feet stomping on toes and elbows jabbing.

Sakura's eyes widened and let out a whispered '_Sasuke_' as if his name were some kind of spell. Naruto frowned at her from behind his mask, feeling a twinge of possessiveness, remembering those long years of listening to Sakura worship the ground the Uchiha walked on. Even if Sakura had changed and moved on, she was still Sakura and old habits die hard. It just bothered him that Sasuke was Sakura's old habit.

"Madara took him in easily and he has named his team Taka. Their first mission is to contian the _Hachibi_,"

Itachi closed his eyes in silent thanks. The man had made himself extremely scarce since Tsunade and the other's arrival, but had had no choice in coming to this meeting. A lot of people had lost friends and family to Itachi and Deidara, putting a strain on the whole alliance. Gaara, for instance, had almost killed Deidara on sight, for sitting on his dead body and kicking his face all those years ago. And Ino despised Itachi because she blamed Sasuke's betrayal on him.

"We will need to contact Killer Bee so he can prepare," Pein inferred, raising a hand towards Naruto's bent form. The blonde dipped his hed lower in understanding and opened his mouth.

"Of course,"

It was out before he could stop himself, the words spilling, tainted with his voice that everyone was bound to recognize. A chair scraped noisily aver the tiled floors, and Sakura jumped to where Naruto was sitting, grabbed the mask by its chin and yanked. The masks ribbons broke and Naruto stared up at the girl with a bored expression on his face, though inside was boiling in turmoil.

"A-_hah_!" she cried. Her stormy emerald eyes soaked in the familiar blonde with a triumphant, angry expression, "Naruto!"

He let the hood fall back on his shoulders and smiled, eyes closed tightly.

"Sakura," Naruto replied simply.

"What a surprise," Shikamaru's dry voice rang in the silence.

"Dickless," Sai greeted with a casual wave. Naruto nodded his head politely.

"Sai, it's good to see you. How have you been?" the blonde latched onto the initiative with a forceful bite.

"Oh, you know. Some days are better than others," the artist nin replied lightly. Naruto nodded in understanding as the room remained frozen, Sakura standing over him like a glacier- still, foreboding.

"How is your Uchiha?" Sai continued, as if everyone wasn't at a standstill, easily making conversation. As if it were natural, not something he had learned from a book.

"He's, well-" Naruto laughed to himself, as if some inside joke had been brought up, "He's still Sasuke,"

"That's _it_?" Sakura screeched, "We don't hear from you for half a year and the best you've got is some bloody _pleasantries_ about your personal lives?"

Naruto leaned his chin on his palm and shrugged.

"What else am I supposed to say?"

"How about _sorry_?" Ino snapped, rising from her chair much like Sakura had done before her, "Like, sorry you ditched us and abandoned the village and joined a group of _murderers_?"

"We're all murderers," Naruto shot back, the words stale in his mouth.

"That's besides the point!" Sakura snapped, leaning down into his face.

Naruto thought about it, wondering if it would be better to let them run their anger out like he had let Karin do. Once they're drained, they're over it. But that would be lying to himself. He looked to Kakashi who refused to look him in the eye.

"I'm not sorry, though. I have my own reasons for being here, and I wouldn't change my choices even if I could,"

He didn't bother stopping Sakura's hand from streaking through the air and slashing across his face, a tingling sting- that oddly reminded him of the first day he had the _Konomoshi_ seal- spreading from his jaw to his cheek bone.

"_Sakura_!" Tsunade crowed, everyone jerking back in their seats in alarm.

But before the pain even wore away, strong slim arms were tugging around his body, pressing his nose into Sakura's sweet smelling neck.

"You idiot! You stupid, stupid idiot!" she cried. Naruto tried not to let her so close so she wouldn't feel the bulge of his front.

"I missed you," Sakura whispered, in the same broken voice Naruto had used when he had spoken to Sasuke. It made his resolve crumble and the blonde found himself hugging her back with just as much force, saying things like 'I know' and 'Me too' but no 'I'm sorry's. Never 'I'm sorry'- because he'd do it all again. Pein and his underlings slipped out of the room discretely to give the shinobi a chance to catch up.

Gaara sighed, but Sakura's breakdown seem to visibly relax the tension in the room. Suddenly, the conference room erupted in eager voices, prodding and poking at Naruto for answers.

"Why didn't you go with Sasuke and his team to Madara?"

"How long have you been here?"

"Did you confess to Sasuke?"

"Are you still dickless?"

"How is life on the road? I heard you've traveled quite far since you were gone,"

He was dizzy with them. He wanted to get away- for indulging them now would hurt the, later. Tentatively, Naruto pressed Sakura away and rose, taking a step back from the faces that were pressing close.

"Calm down, everyone," Tsunade snapped, "Can't you see Sasuke's antisocial behavior has rubbed off on the poor boy? Look at him- he looks terrified,"

The last of the callous hesitation melted away as a few laughed at the joke and it seemed, to them, like Naruto had never left at all. But the heavy weight on his back and bladder was a stone cold reminder that he could-not,-would-not,-should-not get any closer to these old friends.

"Talk to us, Naruto!" Lee insisted, "Tell us _something_!"

"You guys are a bunch of gossiping old ladies," the blonde teased, glancing off to the side so he wouldn't have to see his friends' faces.

"That's because you're even more interesting now that you've experienced rough living- now, spill the beans!" Ino demanded, and added a bit wickedly, "Did you and Sasuke screw?"

Naruto, along with a few others, turned red.

"Don't answer. We don't want to know," TenTen frantically replied.

Kakashi snorted, finally able to speak to his ex-student.

"He doesn't have to. His face says it all,"

The blonde rolled his eyes and ran a worried hand through his mussed hair in agitation. This- a public analysis of his complicated love affairs- was not what he needed. He had left these people behind to escape them- to find home where he really needed it- and here they were again, making racket and disrupting his easy way of life. Easy if you discluded the war bubbling beneath their feet.

"I apologize-" the blonde began, holding a hand, "but I must write to Killer Bee tonight,"

Sakura frowned.

"You've changed," she muttered.

Naruto nodded slowly, his eyes closed as if tired to have to admit it. He bowed his head to them in dismissal and made his exit, Konoha's eyes boring into the spot between his shoulder blades.

"Good night," he told them.

_**To Be Continued…5433**_

**This chapter was so long and boring I could cry. Seriously, the next one is so much better because so much is going to happen. This chapter is more like the 'getting everyone up to speed'. It was dreadful writing.**


	10. Chapter 9

**Summery: "Uzumaki Naruto has resigned from the Shinobi Ranks. His whereabouts are unknown,"- They could only bow their heads in silent resignation. "He finally went," Neji sighed, "To Sasuke," In which Naruto leaves to find his true home. SasuNaru Eventual Mpreg**

**Warnings: Mpreg and other rated M things.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto**

**Chapter 9 : Bouncing Baby**

"Hey Naruto,"

The blonde paused, mouth wide open, chopsticks loaded with steamed zucchini hovering mid-air. Lee laughed at the funny look, though his mouth was full, making a disturbing picture himself. Ino ignored him and continued with her trail of thought.

"Why are you so fat?"

Naruto snapped his mouth closed and put the food down, considering the young woman's words while everyone- and he meant _everyone_- leaned forward. It had been a few days since they had discovered his identity, and he had abandoned the cloak since then, revealing his round, bloated figure.

"In order to become stronger, Jiraiya taught me that for emergencies if I swallowed a giant frog, its powers would transfer into me. So I'm fat now,"

"You _what_?" Kakashi and Sakura gasped together. Shino buried himself in his collar, trying to hide the upward quirk of his mouth.

"You can't be serious," Gaara deadpanned, and Naruto started laughing.

"No, no. You're right, it was a joke-"

Silence settled and they waited. Naruto figured it would eventually come down to this,

"I'm expecting,"

"Is _that_ joke?" Sakura asked, voice hushed, as if afraid to speak any louder.

"No- you want to feel it kick? It hasn't moved much today, but if you talk to it or maybe sing, it'll usually respond,"

Kakashi silently yanked his _hitai ate _away and looked, his all-seeing _Sharingan_ confirming Naruto's absurd story. Neji shrewdly watched Kakashi's reaction as the silver haired man drew in a quick breath.

"Well, I'll be damned," he murmured.

Naruto laughed, a melodic sound in the heavy silence, and stood laboriously from his chair and pulled up his black shirt so that his swollen stomach was open for seeing. He beckoned Sakura and Tsunade.

"How did you manage this?" she whispered, resting a green glowing hand over the warm skin. She explored, feeling the hum of the chakra-wound womb, the tethers of a mysterious seal, and finally, a faint heartbeat echoing Naruto's own.

"I don't want to believe it, but I can feel it- it's heartbeat," Tsunade whispered, and again, "How is this possible?"

"Ah, it's a bit shady, so I'd rather not say," the blonde replied, nervously glancing around at his peers. Neji's Byakugan was activated, and he had a calculative expression in the crease of his brows.

"You've used some sort of seal," he finally stated, not going any farther. Ino and TenTen rushed forward, pushing Tsunade and Sakura aside so they could get their turn running their hands over Naruto's belly. They cooed and 'aah'ed until they felt the baby's jerks and spasms in their palms.

"Looks like you really are dickless, Dickless," Sai teased. Naruto laughed and Gaara frowned.

"You're not embarrassed? I'm being sincere when I ask this-" the Kazekage questioned, "Do you not feel, as a man, damaged pride?"

Naruto thought about it honestly. He guessed he maybe felt a little embarrassed at getting so much attention, but really, he didn't care. The life growing inside of him was so much bigger than his ego. It meant family; it meant something he and Sauske both created together.

"It's too important to feel that way,"

"It's Sasuke's?" Lee asked.

Naruto grinned and scratched the back of his head.

"So you guys _did_ do it!" Ino exclaimed with a groan, "It's so hard to believe. Now I've _definitely_ lost my chances,"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, muttered something like 'What am I' and 'Chopped liver', though Naruto could have imagined it. In the noise and questions, Sakura quietly left the room. The Uzumaki watched her go, but didn't comment.

He glanced down at his stomach and studied the largeness of it. It was just about time to let this seal go. Naruto 'hmm'ed to himself, and stroked the tightly stretched, golden skin and smiled. It was probably time for Itachi- who had made himself extremely scarce for obvious reasons, as well as for his rapidly digressing health- to get in touch with his younger brother anyways.

_Better write to Sasuke._

…

Naruto hadn't seen Sakura since she had walked out of the room upon him confession his pregnancy. She had disappeared deep within the apartment complex- a completely different building from his, so he never ran into her.

It was a night when the kiddo didn't want to stop kicking around, keeping the poor blonde on edge from the nights of restlessness.

He slipped one of Sasuke's white kimono tops and fastened it around himself tightly and decided to take a walk. Maybe it would help lull the fetus back to sleep.

He walked around in the cool- too cool, now that autumn was rolling along- weather, tugging the blankets around his shoulders. It was to the sound of small sniffles that made him pause and look up at one of the roofs of the Amagakure city.

"Sakura?"

The girl looked down at him and he caught the glistening of tears in the light of the moon. It had him swooping up there- not as fast and as graceful as he would have liked-, putting a comforting arm around her shivering shoulders.

"What are you doing up here?" he cooed.

"You idiot-" she hiccupped, "You're going to catch a cold, and then the baby will be born with some sort of freak defect,"

"Think about the baby's parents- it's already doomed to have some sort of freakish quality. But never mind that; tell me what's wrong," Naruto insisted, wiping at the wet trail on her cold, blotchy cheeks.

"It's not any of your business,"

Naruto glanced her over skeptically, letting out a soft 'huh'. Sakura glared wetly, before dissolving.

"Y-you took him from me!" she accused, eyes wide with loss and grief, "And _he_ took _you_ from me. You were both my boys- mine; but now you don't need me anymore because- because you've finally got each other!"

Her sobs renewed and Naruto held her closer, not sure what he should say.

"And I can't even be angry because you're both so _in_ _love_! It's sickening how happy you both are,"

"I really need you to be there with us when this thing is born," Naruto told her, hugging her to his warm stomach, "You know how clueless he'll be. I need you there to keep us both together,"

"…Really?"

The blonde smiled and kissed her forehead.

"Of course,"

Sakura collapsed against in him renewed tears.

"Does that mean you forgive me?"

Sakura punched his arm.

"You idiot," she sniffled.

"Good. Now let's get inside before we _both_ get sick,"

…

It was easy detaining the Hachibi for Team Taka- as Killer Bee and Sasuke had simply introduced themselves and walked together back to Taka's encampment. They shred information, catching each other up with the plans Pein had further developed.

Sasuke explained that they would have to bind and beat Killer Bee to a reasonable extent as they neared the meeting place for undercover reasons.

"I've managed to meet all of Madara's underlings," the Uchiha informed Killer Bee as they sat around a steaming rock.

"Yo- those guys are freaky," Bee sang.

Karin snorted and Suigetsu stifled a chortle. Killer Bee was… odd company.

"Kabuto has joined with Orochimaru's ring- he must have retrieved it from his corpse. I have a fake ring from Deidara and they have Konan's ring now, so that makes eight rings for Madara,"

"It took three days to extract a Beast with nine members. There's no telling how long it will take with one less," Juugo pointed out, flipping his strip of beef over on the steaming river rock.

"It'll only give us a larger opening of attack," Suigetsu countered, "So, the time isn't really a bad thing,"

Killer Bee winced, making a hand flash at him.

"That's easy for you to say, man. I'm the one getting' hit by a van,"

The four collectively blinked at him, sharing one thought: _Van_..?

"No worries," Sasuke reassured, "We won't leave you in Madara's grasp for long,"

The way his _Sharingan_ eyes glinted in the sunlight made Bee shiver, not at all getting a feeling of sympathy from the Uchiha.

"Just imagine if it were Naruto in Killer Bee's place-"

Sasuke glowered at Suigetsu before he could even finish. The shark man nervously looked away, spotting a black dot in the sky.

"Hey, it's one of Itachi's messenger ravens,"

Sasuke tilted his regal chin to the sky and indeed saw the fast approaching bird. It swooped down on them, letting out a shrieking caw, gliding around their heads before landing on the Uchiha's outstretched arm. Carefully, he untied the small paper tied to its clawed leg and released it back into the trees where it would rest a few days before returning to its master.

He unfurled the note.

_Naruto says it's time._

"Looks like Sasuke's finally going to be a daddy," Suigetsu announced after reading over his shoulder.

"Congratulations," Karin drawled out, "If Madara asks, we'll tell him you caught wind of Itachi and blew us off to go fulfill your destiny so you can leave,"

Sasuke gave her a long look of concealed gratitude before grabbing his pack and promptly leaving the group in the dust, unaware to the keen yellow eyes flickering around them.

Sasuke mapped out the quickest course in his head, realizing he had a while to go- traveling all the way through Sound and Grass just to get back to Ame. It would take two days if he went as fast as he could, but was that wise? He thought of Ame and what waited there for him- Naruto, pregnant Naruto, _his_ Naruto, their _child_. Fuck 'wise'.

He broke Ame's border in thirty hours.

Breathless and exhausted, Sasuke practically bulldozed Pein's tower's entrance door down coming through. Itachi was there in an instant, as if having predicted his arrival, leading him down hall after hall until Sasuke was ready to snap.

They turned the last corner and Sasuke saw familiar faces leaned against the walls. Kakashi, as well as other Konoha nin, straightened to greet him, but his glare cut them all down. Ino was crouched on the floor, head bowed between her knees.

"Wait here-"

"I'm not going to fucking wait!" he burst as his elder brother paused in front of a cracked open door. The door swung open to reveal an open-mouthed Sakura. The youngest Uchiha studied her for a second before growing impatient, eyebrows twitching spasmodically.

"Well?" he snapped, still winded from his journey, "Where is he?"

Sakura cleared her throat with a 'right' and stepped to the side so he could enter. Tsunade was there, leaning over Naruto who was laid out on a metal table, cover with a white sheet, his belly bare. Naruto saw him and smiled and all of the tension melted from Sasuke's body to the floor.

"Took you long enough, Teme. You didn't really have to rush though- since I can hold this thing in for forever,"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and walked until he was next to the blonde, looking down at his happy face with his own eyes. They had only been separated for a month- since Naruto had left for Konoha- and it had already done terrible things to the Uchiha's mood. Maybe he had been so crabby with Orochimaru because he hadn't had Naruto there to counter his brooding.

"All right," Tsunade interrupted, pulling on latex gloves, getting ready for business, "Naruto is going to release the seal and we are going to cut him open and get the little monster out,"

She glanced around, securing the area with her eyes, making sure the tub of water and platter of scalpels was within reach. Pein had brought the necessary medical means over from the hospital, an oxygen concentrator in case it had trouble breathing, a sterilized hospital crib, and diapers. There was a bag of formula that Ino had gone out and bought, as well as a parcel of newborn clothes.

"Ready?" the woman asked, raising a large surgical knife. Naruto shivered and grabbed Sasuke's hand, looking him in the eyes.

"You do it,"

"What?" he said, coming out as a gasp.

"You. Do it. Grab your sword that you have on your hip right now, and help me give birth to your kid,"

The Uchiha looked at him in alarm, as if he was crazy.

"Come on; we're waiting," the blonde urged.

After a moment of silence, Sasuke slowly grabbed the handle of _Kusanagi_ and pulled, a drawn out _shing_ filling the room. Sakura gasped and grabbed Naruto's other hand as Sasuke hauled himself onto the table. He straddled Naruto's stomach, sitting up on his knees, the tip of his sword grazing the skin there.

"Down or across?" he asked, examining the seals winding across Naruto's body.

"Across," Tsunade answered, and he adjusted the sword's angle accordingly.

Naruto's face relaxed as he murmured unknown words and phrases of an ancient language under his breath. Sasuke felt a powerful hum as the inky marks underneath the _Kyuubi's_ seal began to smoke and fade. The blonde gasped.

"_Now_," he breathlessly commanded and Sasuke bit his tongue, stared at his lover's contorted face, and _cut_.

Naruto never screamed or even let a sound out of his mouth as Kusanagi sliced inches into his belly, but Sasuke will never forget the white pallor of his skin, the sweat on his brow, and the agony in his ragged breaths. Sasuke used his Sharingan to judge how deeply to let the sword go.

And then he saw it, a glowing blue netting covering something moving, something _alive_. The Uchiha tossed his katana carelessly to the ground and reached inside- a nauseating word when discussing someone's open abdomen- as blood poured down Naruto's sides and onto the titled floor. The blue chakra encasing the baby fell away to sizzle into nothing and Sasuke was left staring at it. At _him_.

"Congratulations-" Sakura breathed, "You have a healthy baby boy,"

Naruto's lips were turning white, and Tsunade shoved Sasuke away so she could begin a long healing process. Sakura took the newborn to be cleaned and checked and Sasuke was left staring at the crimson staining _Kusanagi_ and the floor.

Most of the severity of Naruto's gash was sealed away with Tsunade's healing chakra, but there was still an angry red whelp that lined from hip bone to hip bone that would probably never go away. The Uchiha brushed his fingers through the blonde's hair, whose whimpering had died down to a quiet hissing.

"_You_,"

Sasuke started and stared down at Naruto. His eyes were stormy.

"You had better raise this one right because I am _never_ doing that for you again,"

Sasuke smiled, and leaned over his head and kissed him, upside down.

"Understood,"

…

Naruto didn't have as much time with Sasuke as he would have liked. Reality was a harsh thing and at that time, the most important place for Sasuke to be was with Madara, getting as much information as he could possibly could. So, only a day after his son's birth- the words were giddy in his mind- Sasuke was slipping away in the dead of night without even an apologetic 'duty calls, baby'.

The blonde sat back on his guest bed, brought-to-you-by Akatsuki, staring out of the window at the rain pounding on the glass. The warm bundle in his arm squirmed and simpered. Already, he could feel the difference in his body with the lack of the little leechling in his body. Tsunade had said that he would be experiencing random chakra surges and abdominal pain from his body setting itself back to correctness.

The chakra had smashed him almost as hard as when the seal was first activated. It coursed through his veins, making him gasp and writhe, reveling in its rejuvenating nature. It felt great to be able to feel his chakra again- most of it having gone to maintaining the second life inside of him.

Naruto grinned down at the baby boy in his lap and pinched a cheek until he began to cry loud, gasping wails. Baby- that was his name for now. The others had asked him why he and Sasuke hadn't named him, and Naruto didn't rightly know. They had been to caught up in him being _real_, being _alive_ to remember naming the baby!

"That's right, sweetie," the blonde whispered, not at all bothered by the crying, "Be as loud as you can. Tell the world you're alive; make them listen,"

The baby definitely got his vocals from Naruto's side of the family- him and Kushina had been sure of that. As for traits, Naruto thought the baby already looked darker in palor than typically Uchiha- which was the dominate trait of the two, so it wasn't a surprise.

He hadn't opened his eyes yet, and Tsunade said that the light peach fuzz covering his head could darken, so there was no telling just yet. He was simply too young to say anything- even though Sakura and the other girls insisted he looked just like Sasuke.

Naruto rolled his eyes, and consoled his child's miserable whimpers with soft stroking over his eyelids and gentle pats on his chubby thighs. _Chubby- his rolls have rolls_, the blonde thought with a snicker.

There was a knock on the door and Naruto called 'come in' as Itachi slipped inside, a white napkin held to his lips.

"You're looking well,"

"I'm feeling better than I have in months," Naruto confirmed with a smile.

The Uchiha took a seat in the lounge chair next to the bed and gazed down at the drowsily gurgling baby.

"We have heard from Sasuke's team about Hachibi. Madara has set a date for the extraction and once Sasuke reunites with Taka, they are to meet up with him and the rest of his servants near the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path,"

There was a pause in which Naruto poked his baby's chubby cheeks, unable to resist their soft squishiness.

"I'm also here to tell you that Tsunade has forbade you from joining us in the ambush-" the blonde scowled and sat up straighter to argue, "-But seeing as Tsunade is not your Hokage or official caregiver, she has no ruling in the matter. However, I would advise you on 'limited involvement',"

Naruto huffed but nodded, still feeling the tenderness of the cut Sasuke had made on his stomach. He hadn't exactly held back, though Naruto was already aware restraint was a foreign concept to Sasuke.

Itachi rose to leave, and on his way out, Naruto called him.

"Hey, you want to go make some baby formula for me? We can play house,"

The door slammed and Itachi heard Naruto's laughter all the way down the hall.

…

"Shit!" Deidara cursed, "He's pissing everywhere, Naruto!"

The blonde smacked the Akatsuki bomber over the head with an unused diaper as he laid with baby boy down on the blanket to change him.

"Don't cuss or I'll wash your mouth out with Pei's dirty laundry water!"

Deidara cringed and kept quiet. Pein was a good guy- Could the leader to a criminal organization be _good_? It seemed like an oxymoron- but the guy had some _rank_ in his socks.

…

"Why won't he open his eyes?" Ino asked, gazing at the reddened nose and round cheeks of Naruto's offspring.

"He knows it isn't time yet," Naruto answered.

No one asked him to explain, though none knew what he meant exactly.

"He'll open his eyes when the world is before him for him to see," the blonde supplied after a few more minutes and Ino smiled at the strange mother.

…

"It feels so good to be _thin_ again!" Naruto cried happily, hugging himself around the middle, completely able to see his feet- and touch them too.

"Modesty, huh?" Deidara snorted.

"No way- I am a hot blonde with an irresistible body. Modesty has no place in such perfection,"

Ino studied the ANBU clad blonde with a smile, a little depressed to see him in Konoha attire again. He did look good though. Damn him and his demon making his body fat vaporize.

"Good luck," TenTen said, holding Naruto's baby to her chest.

The blonde had first suggested that the kid saty with a group of his clones, but Tsunade had abolished the idea, saying it was too dangerous. If he was injured and it caused the_ Kage no Bushins_ to disperse, the baby would be left alone. So TenTen and Temari volunteered- surprising since they were the most masculine females out of the group.

"See you guys in a few days," Tsunade said.

…

They headed to where they learned to be the coordinates of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, given to them by Sasuke when he learned of its whereabouts- since Madara had moved it after Akatsuki's split.

They met a few miles off of the actual site to regroup and plan the next few steps. Naruto was ecstatic, and everyone knew it. The blonde was bouncing on the balls of his feet in anticipation as Team Taka appeared. Sakura pouted, the fact that she had lost both men still a little tender on the heart.

Naruto smiled and went to Sasuke, showing off his renewed litheness and taking him by the arm.

Tsunade cleared her throat to get everyone's attention.

"We don't know exactly how this will go, but the idea is to pick one of the bad guys you want to fight and take him down. Sakura, Karin, and I will be mostly medical assistance. Leave Madera to Pein and the other Uchihas,"

Naruto frowned when his name wasn't included, but as Itachi had pointed out, Tsunade wasn't his commander. It as funny how even after almost a year of being away, he still felt inclined to follow her orders.

Pein didn't seem to mind that Tsunade was giving most of the instructions, and focused more on relaxing before the battle.

Naruto felt his stomach clench in the tight ball of preparation. It was a familiar feeling, having been one of experience in the battle field. The blonde glanced to Sasuke who glanced to him. He bit his lip and felt a tremor of excitement.

The Uchiha bent down, lips brushing Naruto's ear, breath light and teasing.

"If I decide to take you into these trees and do dirty things to you, you won't get pregnant again, will you?"

The blonde gasped and slapped Sasuke's chest with a flush.

"Didn't I already tell you that this one was the only one?" he whispered in reply, grabbing the taller man's collar and discretely leading him away while everyone crowded around Shikamaru and Pein for the strategy.

Woods were convenient. It was fact. Especially when you want to pin someone against a something- namely, a tree- or want to be able to destroy the area with the force of your passion.

Naruto shoved the Uchiha hard in the shoulders, sending him to the mossy ground, and crawled on top of him. With boastful slowness of all the world, the blonde pulled Sasuke's clothes away, leaving them strewn around as sex often did to clothing. The Uchiha's eyes were compacted with a sensual wickedness as Naruto ground down onto his pelvis, feeling the hardness between them.

The pale man smirked maliciously, reaching a slimmed fingered hand up and into on of Naruto's pockets, pulling out a small tube of lubrication. Naruto gazed down at him in a little surprise before catching _Sharingan_ eyes spinning mischievously.

The blonde removed his own top, a little vain at how fit he was even after only a few weeks after giving birth and getting rid of all of the extra skin that came with it. His _Kyuubi_ seal was the only denizen on his skin- bar the ANBU tattoo.

"Get on with it," the Uchiha grunted in a deep growl when his tan lover stayed still for a time that he deemed was too long.

With a light chuckle, Naruto pulled the man's darkened shaft from his dark pants and brought his mouth to the tip. Sasuke let out a hiss and a strangled, half-concealed groan of what Naruto assumed was a bad word.

He let his tongue slide past his lips to taste the stiffening member before him. It was a heady flavor, like the scent, and Naruto found that he didn't really mind it. He pushed the head beyond the heat of his lips and hummed, unable to keep from grinning when strong hips began to spasm. The blonde laved at the dark veins and kissed his way to Sasuke's base. With the labored breathing in his ear, he could guess he wasn't all that bad.

When Naruto thought the Uchiha was ready, he retreated, sliding back up his trembling body to plant a kiss on his white throat. Sasuke looked up at him as Naruto shimmied himself out of his ANBU pants. His cock proudly rose in attention, and he returned to his place around the Uchiha's gyrating hips.

Taking the bottle of lubrication from Sasuke, Naruto coated his fingers with a generous amount and found the Uchiha's eyes with his own. Back to the slow tactic, Naruto tested his partner's patience, trailing his hand down his own chest and stomach to where blonde curls lay at the base of his arousal. Dark eyes intensified.

"Naruto," he urged.

With a breathy laugh, Naruto allowed his fingers to slip further down to the junction between his thighs, to the cleft of his ass, and inserted two. Sasuke watched, and what Naruto thought was going to feel dirty took on a whole new level of intimacy. The blonde assumed being on top was a raunchy way to have sex, but instead felt closer somehow, like having Sasuke watch as he prepare himself made the experience whole new.

After a few minutes of making the Uchiha jealous of his fingers, Naruto extracted the wriggling digits from his entrance. Placing one hand on a pale shoulder, Naruto grasped Sasuke's dick with other, aligning it with his body.

"Are you ready for me to ride you?" the blonde gasped out, pressing its swollen head inside. Sasuke glared and grabbed the blonde's hips roughly.

"Can you?"

They spent the next hour finding out.

_**To Be Continued… 4473**_

**I'm so sorry this is later than usual. I made a last minute decision to extend this on into another chapter, seeing as so much already happened in this one.**


	11. Author's Note

**AN/: **I'm really, really sorry guys, but this next update is going to be super late. Some complicated things came up and it's set me back on everything. Again, I'm sorry- but I'm hoping to have chapter 10 up by the end of the week. If not, then it'll be soon after. Thank you guys for sticking with me.

Cannibal.


	12. Chapter 10

**Summery: "Uzumaki Naruto has resigned from the Shinobi Ranks. His whereabouts are unknown,"- They could only bow their heads in silent resignation. "He finally went," Neji sighed, "To Sasuke," In which Naruto leaves to find his true home. SasuNaru Eventual Mpreg**

**Warnings: Mpreg and other rated M things.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto**

****This is, sadly (finally), the very last chapter. Thank you all for the wonderful support, critique, and compliments. You've all really pushed my through to the end of this.**

**Special thanks to these people (**_**does anyone even read these?**_**):**

_Cadywise, tsunade senju, femaleJoey, ikkasyll, feral93, 5Angel, ILOVEGAARA, narutoyaoifan, dragonfire04, Andoxchan, foxxy nine-tails, Chibi Tsuki Hikari, kai, __DarkestFlameUchiha, Smileforthem, BadButt94, Atsu Tenshi, SasunaruLuv13, Iky, iamie, lauraninja998, iyfanatic, ppkitaa, Eisfuchs, .Kuraudoo., narutoluvr4evr, BloodyRedEntity, RobXmonXlover, omichiri6183, , Eriixangel, prettypurpletiger, Auzurite, 13am13i, AlchemyGaara, KyouyaxCloud, subakunogaara4evr, LoveUntilWeBleed, alicenwunderland505, Eternal Cosmos, Psychotic Sprite, tokyogirl10093, , mama-Ichigo, SayomiHayashi, azure sea, XMistressDevilx, carms-lain0582, Aiden Uzumaki, silver-eyed, Akane Moon, Little-monstr, Peace-Love-Yaoi, rokudaime09, zindiq, DarkEra'Ssnow, Secret-H, dazedeyes, narcoleptic86, plussizedangel, FizzyCherry, wolfpup0730, annavi33, Pseudoephedrine, Memoiikich, .Smiles., whiterose03, SolitaryLightning, jyannetto, Michiyami, Carollipop, sahisdabest, EienKohaku, RobbXmonXlover_

**Chapter 10 (Final): Family**

Naruto whistled while he gathered his clothing from the ground- his boxers were actually up in a tree branch- and redressed while Sasuke watched him. Naruto imagined him smoking a cigarette, making him laugh to himself.

"Your ass is hot from this angle,"

It was so out of character for Sasuek to say that, that it made the blonde laughed even harder, wrestling his ANBU uniform vest on, wincing a little at the still-sore spots in his body. Still, it was a pleasant soreness.

"Get dressed. We have a war to finish,"

The Uchiha sat up and pulled the blonde down by the wrist, initiating a fierce kiss of clanging teeth and raw vigor.

"Indeed,"

They returned to the camp, where everyone was already settled.

The group's chatter died down a little as Naruto and Sasuke rejoined them, lecherous smirks and suspicious glances being shot their way. The blonde brushed them off, leading the Uchiha to a spot between Sai and Kakashi. They, along with Neji, were studying what Naruto assumed were war plans.

"That was quite the long bathroom break, Dickless," Sai teased.

"Oh, Sai- you're such a pervert!" Naruto laughed, giving him a look of open sincerity, "But I'd be too embarrassed to ever do anything dirty in the open forest,"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"Voyeurism is too much for me!" the blonde confessed, cheeks and nose tainted with a light pink. He turned his face away from Sai and Kakashi to grin mischievously over his shoulder. The Uchiha snorted. _Too much, my ass_…

"I'd be more than willing to help you become more comforta-"

"That is highly ill advised," Suigetsu interrupted, plopping down next to a bemused Hyuuga. Juugo followed after him and the circle made room to accommodate the additional persons.

"Test a serpent's boundaries," the orange haired boy recited, "And its poisonous fangs will surly find you,"

Everyone nodded absently at the wise words, not really taking in their meaning- that Sasuke was obviously the serpent.

"Have you considered going into poetry after the war, Juugo?" Naruto asked with a smile, "You're so verbally eloquent that I just know you'll be good at it,"

He looked at Naruto before giving him a slow nod.

"I'll consider it,"

Sakura sighed wantonly, throwing her head back to look up at the evening sky. She reached a hand up, fingers stretched out.

"Did I hear something about plans after the war?" she called over the group, "I'm definitely going on a long vacation with no work, no trouble, and _no _boys,"

"I'll second that!" Ino laughed.

Naruto's eyes shifted testily to Sasuke, watching him lean back on one hand and gaze in boredom at the surrounding trees. The blonde had no idea what the course would be once Madara was defeated. Would they find a peaceful secluded place to raise the baby? Would the Uchiha leave him and his child behind to go on a long pointless journey out of restlessness? It was hard for an active shinobi to settle down, since it was ingrained in their nature to be constantly active. Would Sasuke get cold feet and run away?

The blonde frowned as Sasuke stood, motioning towards the members of Taka. It was time for them to go back to Madara's group for the final battle.

They were to act as Madara's pawns until the very last second- right when they had the Uchiha beside them. It would be Sasuke's duty to give the signal, and the combined forces would attack, taking them all- hopefully- down.

Everyone else would wait- using one of Kakashi's own tactics to hide in the rocks that made the cave walls- the _Doton: Shinjuu Zanshu no Jutsu_, or Earth Type: Inner Decapitation Skill*. Madara had essentially moved the statue from one cave to another- though Naruto supposed it was the most practical location since the man probably lacked the large facilities to hold it. Even with Kabuto's knowledge of all of Orochimaru's hideouts, they probably weren't spacious enough. Even the one Naruto had seen had been too small.

Sasuke's fingers lingered in the blonde's hair intimately before he disappeared. It was a silent '_Stay alive or else_'. Naruto smiled.

"Seriously- you guys are disgusting," Deidara snorted, "Did you see the way the looked at each other? It's so romantic, I could barf,"

"I think it's cute," Ino grinned.

Tsunade rolled her eyes and stood, pulling her sleeves up to the crooks of her elbows.

"It's time to get going guys. Enough of this prating- we have work to do,"

Naruto stood as well, stomach tightening as he thought of what they were all about to jump into. He studied the faces of his comrades- new, old, reestablished. Ino and Sakura were pulling on gloves and Kakashi was reading his book- though the blonde could sense the tension overtaking the man's body.

Pein nodded politely towards him. When Naruto got to Itachi, their eyes locked- and he would never know how a blind man knew when someone was looking silently at him- but something on the Uchiha's face told Naruto this was going to be a gruesome battle. Like he already knew how it was all going to end.

"Move out-" Tsunade and Gaara snapped in unison.

…

The cave was extremely dark, and that could have something to do with the fact that Naruto was currently buried in rock. He didn't know how Kakashi could stand being sealed up- it was near impossible to breathe and then there were the _bugs_.

What happened next would be a mystery to him until the battle was long over and the survivors who were close enough to the surface could explain. But most of those ended up seriously injured due to the explosion.

Naruto gasped as an earsplitting roar came vibrating through the earth, along with an earthquake's worth of rumbling. The rock around him crumbled, and feared for a moment that he was going to be trapped in a cave-in. The stone pushed against and into him, bruising his arms and ribs with their inflexibility. Using his toad sage training to sense the area around him, Naruto quickly performed the necessary hand seals to teleport himself to solid, open ground.

The scenery was just as difficult to make out- with all of the smoke and dirt flying. His ears were ringing.

_We were found out._

Naruto checked the damage of his person, glad nothing was broken- he had been deep enough from the outside to get a more cushioned impact. But there were others less lucky.

Someone used a mysterious wind technique- maybe Itachi or even Madara- and the thick dust cleared out of the mouth of the cave. The whole tunnel had been widened in every direction. Somehow- Madara had known they were going to be hidden within and had gouged at least nine feet of hard rock away. It all lay in crumbles, and Naruto was sure there were people underneath it all.

"I'm disappointed, Sasuke," an unfamiliar voice- filled with mock resentment- bounded around the area, "You tried tricked me. You didn't honestly think you keep something hidden from me, did you? After all, I do have eyes everywhere,"

Naruto saw him- a man he had once assumed was Tobi, the comic relief of the serious organization, though that role actually belonged to Deidara. He was tall and broad in the shoulders, had short dark hair, and wore a mask- different from the first mask Naruto had seen.

Madara was standing on the _Kuchiyose Gedo Mazo_*, gazing down at them. Naruto warily looked around to find anyone else on his side that could help.

Kisame was there- blinking dirt away and heaving his sword on his shoulder, a feral grin on his face. He was one to love action. Kabuto was more or less beside Madara, looking more- literally- like Orochimaru than Naruto remembered. The serpentine eyes reminded the blonde of the feel of the _Sannin's_ kisses to his hands, making him shiver.

Then, there was Hidan and Kakuzu already prepared for a battle, shouting taunts at the piles of rock as if expecting someone to come flying out of them. Which, _did_ happen- Rock Lee blasted his way out, indecently landing a Lotus kick to Hidan's face. The war was on.

The green beast's battle cry had triggered something, and suddenly there were leaf nin popping out of the rubble like daisies*, though most less vigorous than Lee had. Naruto glanced around, found Sai holding up a limp Kankuro, Gaara moving the fallen sand and rock away to the best to his abilities, and Tsunade already becoming medical assistance.

"Pein-" Madara called fondly, "I thought we had a partnership. But here you are, attacking me for no good reason at all. I feel betrayed. Are you intending to start a war?"

Pein stood silently, Sasuke and Itachi already at his side, calmly staring up at the eldest Uchiha. Karin bit her lip and searched around the cave and found Naruto. She ran over to the blonde and gripped his arm.

"_You_ intend to start the war, Madara,"

"Oh, that's right," he laughed, "It wasn't me raving about peace all the time. And look at that- the little Uchiha brothers have kissed and made up,"

Sasuke glared, but stood firmly next to Itachi, stubborn and strong willed.

"_And_ you've brought me the last two _Jinchuuriki_,"

It was then Naruto remembered Killer Bee and found his hulking figure hunched over in the center of the statue's two hands. He had passed out, but otherwise appeared alive. Naruto felt eyes on him and glanced around. Madara was gazing intently at him- along with a good bit of the others. The blonde, subtly defiant, looked back at the Uchiha in the eyes, going against what he was taught when fighting an Uchiha and testing the man's tolerance for the small rebellion.

"It is nice to finally meet you, Madara,"

That was the last thing Naruto managed to say before the actual battle began. There was a battle cry- from Hidan- and the first weapon was thrown (for Lee's kick wasn't technically a weapon- or even intentional). It all became a blur- Shikamaru's team quickly isolated the blonde Jashin worshiper from his partner, who suddenly found himself surrounded by Lee, Neji, and Kakashi.

It didn't appear anyone- except Kankuro- was actually injured beyond a few bumps and bruises.

Everyone had expected Itachi to join the fight against Madara, but he quickly stepped down when Naruto reached Sasuke's side and retreated to Deidara facing off a grinning Kisame.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke muttered to Naruto angrily, "Go back to Tsunade and stay out of-"

The sound of his blonde companion laughing shut him up, and Sasuke watched as he fluidly slid into an offensive stance with more ease than the Uchiha liked. The idea of Naruto being a practiced killer was somewhat disturbing.

"I know little about Madara's abilities- he has kept himself a mystery," Pein admitted quietly to them as the old Uchiha stood, waiting for his enemies to strike first. Kabuto took this moment to leave his leader's side, swooping to the ground to take on a furious Sakura. Medic nin versus medic nin.

Naruto got tired of waiting pretty quickly- for his technique had improved but his patience hadn't- and cut a zigzag path up the statue, nothing but a white blur to the on-lookers. Sasuke sighed, irked at the blonde's recklessness and braced himself to have to come to his rescue.

Madara was prepared- Naruto went right through him when a poison tipped kunai came slashing through the air. Trying to gain the upper ground, a near impossible feat with the older man, Naruto stubbornly stayed within arms reach, sweeping a leg at Madara's ankles. He dodged effortlessly.

Pein was suddenly there, in front of Naruto, _Rinnegan _glowing dangerously.

"Protecting a _Jinchuuriki_ now, Pein? You're a changed man,"

The Akatsuki leader didn't respond, instead opting for doing a series of hand signs before a fury of gravitational force that sent them- Naruto and Madara- flying in opposite directions. The blonde realized he knew as little about Pein as he did Madara.

"Five minutes," Sasuke told Naruto when he landed on his feet again, "Back before all of this, Konan told us that Madara has control over time space and can only remain intangible for five minutes,"

"So if we keep up a relentless attack for five minutes straight, one of us can land him with a final blow,"

"My _Chidori_,"

"No way! My _Rasengan_ is definitely better,"

Sasuke growled, trying to get it across Naruto's mind that now was not the time to argue about who got the final shot.

"You idiot- you need all of your chakra so you can keep throwing shadow clones at him for the next five minutes,"

The blonde grinned grimly, and nodded, knowing the window to stand around and talk had long been closed.

"Okay-" Naruto breathed deeply, letting his hands fall comfortably in the overused, memorized hand sign. He murmured the jutsu, and felt a tug on his chakra reserve as his strength strained like a muscle to accommodate the hundreds of Naruto replicas that poofed into existence.

They launched themselves in pods- three or four at a time- relentlessly and recklessly using lethal attacks, all of which Madara dodged. Pein joined, using his vast array of extensive knowledge.

Like most ninja, Naruto always compared combat to a fast, twisted dance, flowing between the two parties like memorized choreography- steps like one, two, three, a battle was like attack, block, improvise. But Madara seemed to make it his personal goal to make that muscle memorized, inner rhythm impossible. The old Uchiha's style was choppy and randomized- completely ignoring Naruto's advances so that he was the leader and the blonde was the follower.

Still, if it kept him busy for the next five minutes, Naruto wouldn't complain.

Pein wasn't having much more luck. He was constantly trying to land a hit to the man while simultaneously dodging Naruto's wayward clones- only Madara refused to _stay solid, dammit_.

Naruto's clones were being cut through so easily, he had to keep summoning more, and it had only been a few minutes. The blonde allowed himself to fall back to find a place to sit and meditate so that the natural energy from sage training would help in generating the _Kage Bushins_.

Sasuke was hovering on the sidelines, waiting for the opening to appear. Naruto grimaced. This was really way too troublesome.

He listened to the sounds coming from his comrades as he stilled his body, hearing Sakura's battle cries and Lee's exuberance. They were comforting in their own way, even though both Kabuto and Kakuzu had the upper hand. Then there was Itachi and Kisame, who hadn't even begun fighting yet and seemed to be content with the superficial conversation they were tossing around.

"Would you like to know Konan's final words, Pein?" Madara patronized, "She's quite beautiful when she can't talk,"

The provocation worked, and Pein's speed faltered. Madara jumped at it, swiping away the five clones that had him surrounded like flies, embedding a dagger deep in the man's right shoulder.

Naruto jumped to his feet- sage meditation forgotten, though he had already reached the level anyways- and made to go to Pein's rescue, but Sasuke held an arm out.

Pein hunched over and let a gurgled noise escape his throat, but he stayed on his feet.

"Your mouth is not fit to speak of her," he finally gasped out, despairingly ripping the knife from his body and making a slicing arch at the mocking Uchiha. Madara laughed and swung a kick to Pein's abdomen, sending the man into a cave wall. Naruto's clones were back on him in a second.

Drawing up all of his strength, Naruto began to form Rasen-Shuriken, his hundreds of clones following his suit. He felt the strain on his body and the hot chakra burning the palm of his hand. As a last minute decision, Naruto filtered some of the Kyuubi's own chakra into the attack, aimed at the lording Madara, and let it loose.

The cave shuttered and moaned at the impact of all of the tight balls of chakra exploding and expanding. The blonde gasped as his clones faded, sucking the energy out of him with each one gone. The aftermath lasted at least two minutes, and Naruto watched through glazed eyes as Sasuke's hand lit up- much like his had- and charged at the befuddled and jarred man.

Large chunks of rocks fell in scattered areas across the cave, and Naruto hoped everyone was okay. The back of the cave was the first to collapse, having gotten the worst of Naruto's impact, and the plummeting stone fell on top of the sealing statue, breaking bits of its face and hands away. Naruto wondered what would happen to the trapped _Bijuu_ if it crumbled to dust.

The smoke from the dirt faded and a screaming silence seemed to fill the hollow. Naruto squinted up to the top of the statue.

The sound of chirping birds dying away rang in Naruto's ears as he watched Madara twitch, Sasuke's fist protruding from his chest, almost an exact replica of Naruto and Sasuke's battle in the Valley of the End. Naruto wanted to rejoice.

But something about the way Kabuto smiled, something in the eerie chill sneaking up Naruto's spine.

His eyes frantically darted back to Madara to the sound of breaking bones to see his figure turning into a white mass of clay. He thought of looking accusingly at Deidara in his confusion, but as the white ooze melted around Sasuke's arm, it began to take the white side of Zetsu.

It became clear to Naruto then, as he scoured the area with his senses, that Madara was no where to be found- most likely not even in the same dimension.

Zetsu found the black half of himself and motioned to his subordinates- the ones still standing. Kabuto and Kakuzu sneered at Naruto as they passed him, leaving everyone in a suspended state of shock. They seemed to warp, bending around the edges, and disappeared from the cave.

They were frozen- because really, what else could they do? The war that they had planned to end today was only just beginning. They had failed.

With a resigned sigh, Naruto walked up behind Sasuke and placed a heavy hand on his slouched shoulder.

"He's gone Sasuke,"

The Uchiha seemed to be in some form of denial. He couldn't accept that they had done all of this for nothing. But it wasn't all bad, Naruto noted as he looked around; Hidan and Kisame were finished.

"Sasuke," Deidara called from across the cave.

Naruto felt that familiar chill return to slowly creep through his legs and up his back- he knew that tone of voice. He had heard in Tsunade's before telling him of Jiraiya's death. Because death was that tone.

He and the youngest Uchiha turned as one to face the blonde artist and saw him standing over the collapsed figure of Itachi.

Naruto had to close his eyes to block the image out- and instead wished he had covered his ears when a muffled groan escaped Sasuke's mouth. The Uchiha ripped away and stooped over his elder brother's body.

"Kisame- he…" Deidara cleared his throat and tried again, "Itachi asked Kisame to be the one to kill him. It wasn't my place to interfere,"

Their downcast eyes traveled a few feet over to see the shark man among the rocks, his own sword deep in the confines of his chest. He had struck Itachi down and killed himself afterwards. The man had been trained by his village to be the one to terminate his team, but they guessed his partnership with Itachi had been something deeper. Something noble.

Sasuke allowed himself to fall to his knees so he could touch Itachi's face. He didn't understand the suffocating pain in his chest when the man had been dying anyways. They hadn't even had the time to completely heal the wounds of their twisted past, and here he was- crying. The wet trails on his pale cheeks felt heavy, and there Naruto was, right next to him, saying it was all right to mourn- always there because that was just the way he was.

Everyone was polite enough to exit the cave while Sasuke and Naruto stayed behind and wept in private.

Tsunade and Sakura helped lift the fallen bodies, Pein's injured one among them, and prepared for the long journey ahead- literally and figuratively.

As Sasuke rose to depart and return to Ame, he felt a burning pain in his eyes that had nothing to do with the tears.

…

They returned to Ame with the intentions of sending a letter to Suna and Konoha, explaining that they were under a threat and needed to make war preparations- make an emergency evacuation route, set up curfew, and tighten border security. There wasn't anything they could do with Madara- no leads, no plan of action. For the time being, they could only wait and do their best to protect the Leaf Village.

"And with my official retirement forms sent, I hereby appoint Uzumaki Naruto as my successor," Tsunade finished, watching the messenger falcon fly southeast to Konoha.

Naruto frowned as his peers smiled expectantly at him. It was Sasuke, Team Kakashi, Ino, and the Taka group in the room, and they were all pleased- except Sasuke and his company- to hear Tsunade finally say what they had all known for a while.

"Since Itachi is gone and we need you now more than ever, you and Sasuke will return with us, correct?" the old woman rambled.

A tense silence stretched across the room until Sakura shifted uncomfortably in her chair, the legs scraping the hardwood floor. Naruto looked away from the curious gazes fixated on him. Why were they all looking at him? Sasuke was the one who made the decisions.

"No," the blonde sighed, "Sasuke and I will probably never return to the Leaf Village. I can't accept the position. I am in no place to be anyone's _Hokage_- what with the baby and the whole, you know, ditching the village for a criminal,"

There was nothing to argue; Naruto had made it clear that he would only ever be where his Uchiha was. Konoha was no longer an option for them- hadn't been since Sasuke had set foot outside of it with his revenge as the destination. Naruto guessed that once Madara was defeated, he and Sasuke would find a new place- whether they build it themselves or simply discover it- to raise their child and live out the rest of their lives in simplicity. The blonde had never really considered giving up his life as a shinobi, and didn't think the life would ever leave him, but if Sasuke wanted, he would never pick up a _shuriken_ again.

"Hey- speaking of, have you decided what to name him?" Ino asked, pushing the present topic aside for one less heavy. Naruto glanced over to Sasuke who was seated by the window, a bundle of baby in his arms.

"_Tsutunai_?" Naruto suggested with a laugh, for it meant 'unlucky'- and there was nothing less lucky than being born in the middle of a war to a pair of violent males who were completely incompetent to raising a kid. Karin snorted.

"More like Miracle- _Kiseki_," she said with a roll of her eyes. Her glasses were missing, having been broken during the fight.

"I think he is very _Rakki_-" lucky, Juugo insisted calmly, "He has strong, determined parents who will make sure he is raised in a peaceful world,"

Everyone took that one in, letting the name roll around in their minds and off their tongues, tasting at it to see if the flavor matched. Naruto thought about it, but shook his head, having already decided. When everyone's voices died down, the blonde cleared his throat.

"I'm retiring for the night. Would you guys mind going?"

They all filed out, taking their time to leave. Sakura seemed suspiciously wet around the eyes, but Naruto decided not to comment. Juugo was the last to leave, holding out a piece of paper with sloppy, scrawled writing on it.

"I thought about what you said- about considering poetry after all of this. I wrote this while thinking of you and all you've done for Karin, Suigetsu, and I,"

Naruto reached for the paper, his eyes reading the lines as Juugo quietly left and closed the door behind him.

_Scarred and Calloused_

_Our hearts of War to be._

_We forgot how to Love-_

_Forgot how to See._

_Blind to our own Bond-_

_For there was no Blood in common;_

_We've all grown fond,_

_Of the Feelings you stir._

_A toast to the Family_

_When we pretend House-_

_For Pretend became Reality_

_And stubbornly-_

_With Eyes clouded Over, _

_I glimpse Family._

The blonde smiled a little, before swetting the paper down on his and Sasuke's bed, mind going back to his baby's name.

"Itachi," he stated quietly, watching Sasuke for a reaction.

The Uchiha seemed to mull at it slowly, before giving a small nod, letting his fingers pet at his child's downy red hair. Sasuke secretly prayed it would darken to at least a deep auburn, but the short little strands were a bright, almost _orange _shade. Orange! It's what he got for reproducing with Naruto- leave it him to bring a ginger Uchiha into the world.

"Itachi," Sasuke whispered as Naruto crossed the room. Tiny eyelids fluttered, and peeked open hesitantly and Naruto basked. A ginger Uchiha. At least this little Itachi had the black eyes.

"He's beautiful," the blonde pseudo-mother breathed, kissing the corner of Sasuke's mouth and bending down to kiss Itachi's forehead.

"Yeah,"

Naruto smiled, Juugo's words still echoing through his mind as he gave the poem a sideways glance.

_With Eyes clouded over,_

"_**I glimpse family,"**_

**End.**

*The technique Kakashi used on Sasuke in like, the first five episodes. You know the one.

*Japanese name for the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path

*You _all_ noticed the _Mulan_ reference.

**The end, guys! No more, I'm afraid. This is the final chapter, no epilogue, no sequal.~ Thank you so much for all of the support.**

**Cannibal.**


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